


End of Days

by Kaychan87



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst and Feels, Apocalypse, Arrancar, Byakuya has a tiny stalker, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, End of the World, Enemies to Friends, Eventual Romance, Evil Soul Society, F/M, Fall of Seireitei, Fluff, Friends to Enemies, Hueco Mundo, Ichigo gets to punch Ishida, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Karakura Town, Karakura gets destroyed a lot, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Original Character Death(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Pregnancy, Quincy - Freeform, Reincarnation, Shinigami, Soul Society has fallen, Sternritter, Tragic Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, Visored, Zombies, Zombified Shinigami, hollows - Freeform, there is fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-23
Updated: 2015-12-14
Packaged: 2018-04-16 22:08:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 46,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4641924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaychan87/pseuds/Kaychan87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During the Quincy War on the Seireitei, Aizen manages to free himself from his prison and becomes the Soul King. His actions throw the worlds out of balance and the remaining Shinigami flee Seireitei. Five years later, they're finally ready to make their move against Aizen and his forces. Characters and tags will be updated as needed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> My most recent fic. You're being forewarned that there are major character deaths in this. There's also lots of flashbacks. Basically, how I feel things should end in Bleach. Really, Kubo Tite just needs to end it and not drag things out.

**Karakura 2003**

“Karin-chan! Where are you?!” Kurosaki Yuzu shouted as she made her way through the wreckage of the Kurosaki Clinic. Her head was spinning and there was smoke and debris everywhere but she had to find her twin. She had to know if her sister was safe. “KARIN!!!”

Everything had happened quickly. One minute their father was running out the door, shouting for Karin to protect Yuzu, and the next the roof of the clinic had come crashing down. Yuzu had only been able to make out a large blurry shape after climbing out of the rubble. Her father and sister were nowhere to be seen. Tears began to blur her vision and her head was throbbing even more than it had been moments ago. She put her hand to her temple and felt something wet and sticky – blood, undoubtedly. As much as it hurt, though, Yuzu was determined to find Karin before anything else did. She had to keep moving or she was as good as dead. She might not be able to always see the monsters her twin sometimes told her about, but Yuzu knew that something like them had attacked her home. Finding Karin was her only option.

“Karin-chan!!” she called again as she resumed walking. She had barely made it two steps before the ground beside her exploded. Yuzu went tumbling into what had been a wall with a shriek. She could make out the sound of triumphant laughter somewhere over her but her vision was blurring again, rendering her sightless. Yuzu closed her eyes and whispered a plea for help one last time.

After a moment she opened her eyes, wondering why she hadn’t been killed. All she could make out was a vanishing black shape while a white one raced towards her. The white shape began to take on a distinctly human appearance as it came closer to Yuzu. The girl blinked as the person began to resemble someone she recognized. ‘ _One of Ichigo’s friends,_ ’ she thought as she looked up at him.

“You’re Kurosaki Yuzu, right?”

Instead of answering, Yuzu asked, “Karin-chan?”

“She’s safe. I’m going to take you to her now.”

Yuzu nodded and winced slightly. “Thank you… Ishida-san?”

“Yes. Ishida Uryuu. I’m glad you remember me,” her rescuer said as he gently lifted the injured girl from the ground.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishida Uryuu made his way toward his home, the injured Yuzu on his back. Her twin, Karin, walked beside them, her left arm in a make-shift sling. The first place Uryuu had thought to bring the Kurosaki twins was to his own home in hopes his father could help them. The girls’ own father had been nowhere in sight when Uryuu had arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic.

“You’re sure this place is safe?” Karin asked again. “Wouldn’t it be better to find Urahara?”

“If I knew for sure he made it back, then I would go there,” Uryuu explained.

“What if no one realizes we’re here?” the dark haired Kurosaki twin continued.

“They’ll detect our reiatsu,” Uryuu said.

“How come you’re back without Ichi-nii? Don’t you guys fight together?”

Uryuu grimaced. “It’s complicated.”

“Ishida!!!”

Karin and Uryuu stopped walking. There was a small group standing in front of the Ishida home. Both of the Kurosaki men were there along with Uryuu’s father and two Shinigami – Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji – who Uryuu had once considered allies. He could see the angry, hurt expressions from where he stood. “Ichi-nii looks pissed,” Karin said.

“I told you, it’s complicated,” Uryuu replied. He resumed walking with Karin, knowing things would not end well for him.

Ichigo moved to meet them but he was stopped by his father. “Dad!”

“He’s carrying your sister on his back. Let me get her first before you have it out with him,” Isshin said to his son. Without waiting for Ichigo’s answer, Isshin approached Uryuu. The Kurosaki patriarch regarded Uryuu thoughtfully before retrieving Yuzu from him.

“Good to see you’re alive, Goat Chin,” Karin said before hugging her father.

Isshin smiled at Karin before going on to address Uryuu. “Thank you for saving my daughters.”

Uryuu just gave a nod as Isshin retreated with the twins. He turned his attention back to Ichigo, ready to face him. Using shunpo, Ichigo was in front of Uryuu in an instant and his fist connected with Uryuu’s face, sending the Quincy’s glasses flying. “What the hell Ishida?!” the Shinigami roared.

Uryuu’s hands flew to his face as he muttered a string of pained curses.

“Why did you betray us?!” Ichigo demanded as he grabbed Uryuu by the shirt and shook him.

“I wanted to avenge my mother! And all the other Quincy Yhwach killed!” Uryuu yelled back, his voice muffled by the hands still covering part of his face.

Ichigo’s grip on Uryuu loosened. “You… what?”

Uryuu lowered his hands from his face, revealing a potentially broken nose. “It was the best way I could think of. I knew you would rush off to Soul Society. But I… I never anticipated… well, this,” the dark haired Quincy explained.

“You… what?” Ichigo asked again, still in shock.

“You have your methods, I have mine,” Uryuu sighed.

“I ought to punch you again for not telling us!” Ichigo exclaimed, releasing Uryuu completely.

“And risk being found out?! The Sternritter were already suspicious of me! And I didn’t know how much you knew Kurosaki!” Uryuu snapped.

“We’re still a team Ishida!”

“No, I’m a Quincy and you’re a Shinigami!”

“My mother was a Quincy too!”

“You wouldn’t know how to be a Quincy even if you tried!” The two teenagers glared at each other, neither one willing to be the first to back down.

“Ichigo! Ishida! Enough!” Rukia yelled, storming over to them. She kicked Ichigo in the shin before turning to Uryuu. “You can explain everything after we get to Urahara’s,” she said.

“All right,” Uryuu agreed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

**Present Day, Karakura**

Karakura could have passed for any war torn city in the world. While many people were blind to the monsters attacking their world, they were not ignorant to the chaos and danger surrounding the world. They believed the world was ending and maybe it was. Karakura certainly looked like the world had ended or so Kurosaki Ichigo thought. His home had begun to resemble the Seireitei after the Quincy and Aizen had had their way with it. It pained the young man to see his home in such a state. But that was why he and his friends were fighting so hard. One day they would end Aizen’s reign and rebuild both the material world and Soul Society. Ichigo would not rest until he had accomplished his goals.

“Ichigo, you have that faraway look in your eyes again,” Kuchiki Rukia said, pulling Ichigo out of his own world and back to reality.

“Did you say something?” Ichigo asked his companion.

The petite girl just shook her head at Ichigo. “You’ve been quiet lately. You can confide in us, you know,” she said as she came to stand beside Ichigo. They were outside what used to be Urahara Shouten, their original base of operations.

Ichigo just gave a half shrug. It was true that he had a lot on his mind but he didn’t feel the need to burden his friends with it. Everyone had so much to worry about as it was. They didn’t need to worry about his worries, too.

“I mean it, Ichigo. We’re all starting to worry about you! Stop being stupid and let us help already!”

Ichigo looked down at Rukia. His expression softened at her words. Everything that had happened to him had happened with Rukia at his side. It was a simple fact that probably wouldn’t change. “It’s been a year,” he finally said.

Rukia looked up and met Ichigo’s gaze. While his was a look of tenderness, hers was one of absolute certainty. “They’re alive,” the dark haired woman said.

“Thanks,” Ichigo said, placing his hand gently on her head and ruffling her hair a bit.

Rukia smiled, though she was laughing inside. She was amused that after the last few years Ichigo was still awkward when it came to showing romantic affection. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

“A pat on the head?! Seriously?!”

Rukia and Ichigo whirled around, both blushing faintly, and glared at the person who had interrupted them.

“What the hell Renji?!” demanded Ichigo.

“Your mopey ass was so distracted that you weren’t even hiding your reiatsu!” Renji fired back.

“That doesn’t mean you have to sneak up on us!”

“Do you think the enemy wouldn’t sneak up on you?!”

“Do you want me to kick your ass like I would an enemy?!”

Rukia shook her head and sighed. “If you morons don’t shut up, someone will find us!” she snapped after letting them bicker for a few minutes. It gave them all a bit of normalcy that they had lost over the last few years.

“Keh. Stop making goo-goo eyes at each other and patrol normally then,” Renji mutter as he shifted his attention to Rukia.

“Shut up, idiot!” Rukia growled, her blush returning.

Renji just smirked at her. On the surface, it was an arrogant kind of smirk but Rukia had known Abarai Renji for a long time. She could read him like a book and offered him a smile back. Renji, she knew, had been just as worried about Ichigo.

“You two can go back now. I’ll finish the patrol by myself.”

Rukia and Renji glanced over at Ichigo. Their concern must have been evident on their faces because Ichigo just smiled at them – a rare reaction from the former substitute Shinigami. “Are you sure…?” Rukia asked.

Ichigo nodded. “I am.”

“Good. I’m starving. C’mon Rukia,” Renji said nonchalantly.

“Renji, thanks,” Ichigo said as he watched his friends turn away.

“Just don’t go stupid again,” was Renji’s reply. Ichigo nodded and the trio went their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing 3 of the OCs that are part of this series.

**Karakura, present**

Ichigo made his way back into Urahara’s underground haven after his patrol had ended. He was still plagued with worry but talking had helped him. While there was quite a bit to be worried about, he still had much to be thankful for. He surveyed the main room in the haven, where everyone seemed to gather during the day. His family and friends from Karakura were living together with his comrades from Soul Society. Their numbers were relatively small compared to when Urahara had first created their haven but Ichigo hoped that would soon change. After a year of waiting, he hoped the others would return at some point.

“Ichi-nii! You look a lot better now!” Kurosaki Karin, on of Ichigo’s two younger sisters, called when she noticed Ichigo was back.

“Yeah. Sorry for worrying you,” Ichigo said as he approached her.

“Don’t forget to tell that to Goat Chin,” Karin advised her brother. Even though she was eighteen, Karin still used her juvenile nickname for her father. It was something of a comfort to the Kurosaki family after everything they had endured.

Ichigo let out a groan. “Don’t tell me he’s been acting ridiculous again!”

“’Again’? He’s never stopped. He’s been trying to get Ganju pity him all day,” the dark haired Kurosaki said. Ichigo covered his face with his hand and groaned again. “Anyway, I need to find Rukia. She’s supposed to help me with some kidou training,” Karin told Ichigo.

“Oh, yeah, she’s good at that,” Ichigo said a bit awkwardly. Sometimes he still saw Karin as the little girl he had to protect. It always hit him hard when she talked about training as a Shinigami. “Hurry up before she gets mad,” Ichigo added quickly and ushered Karin off to find Rukia. Karin gave him an odd look but went on her way regardless.

Ichigo let out a sigh when Karin was gone. With Yuzu gone, Ichigo couldn’t help feeling extra protective of Karin. 

“It is not an easy thing, is it Kurosaki?”

Ichigo turned and found Kuchiki Byakuya standing next to him. “Eh?”

“Being a brother,” responded Byakuya.

Ichigo eyed the Shinigami next to him carefully. Even after living in close quarters with the older Kuchiki for five years, Ichigo still wasn’t sure what to make of Byakuya sometimes. Though if anyone understood Ichigo’s feelings regarding Karin, it was Byakuya. “I guess so,” the young man finally agreed.

“You should take pride in her progress as a Shinigami,” the dark haired taichou suggested.

“I am proud of Karin and of Yuzu, wherever she is,” Ichigo said. Byakuya just gave a nod. Ichigo looked over at Byakuya again and raised an eyebrow. “You know you have a tiny stalker, right?” he asked and motioned to the small child who was watching Byakuya from a distance.

Byakuya glanced in the direction Ichigo had indicated. “Indeed.”

“What’s up with the kid? She never speaks. She just follows people around. It’s kinda creepy,” inquired Ichigo.

“Hisana will speak when she is ready. There is no need to concern yourself with her,” was Byakuya’s reply.

“You don’t think it’s odd that she’s got the same name as Rukia’s sister?” Ichigo continued. He didn’t know much about the situation with the late Hisana but even he found it weird that Byakuya would rescue someone just because they shared a name.

“Again, it is nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Byakuya said firmly. He turned without another word to Ichigo and approached the toddler. He knew he was not being entirely rational where the child was concerned but he could not help himself. He had spent two years trying to figure it out for himself.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura 2006**

It was Kuchiki Byakuya’s turn to patrol Karakura. The day had been filled with rain but dusk had brought a break in the storms with it. It was a small streak of luck and the head of the Kuchiki Clan hoped that luck would remain with him through his watch. Though he would do his duty without fail, he could not help hoping for the rain to hold off. The Shinigami’s luck held for the majority of his patrol. It wasn’t until the end that things took an unlucky turn. He had found a Hollow preying upon an injured human. He had planned to dispatch the Hollow quickly, leaving the human to think it had been something akin to an animal attack. Byakuya used his shunpo to bring himself closer, ready to slay the Hollow. When he arrived closer to the scene, what he saw genuinely surprised him. A young human woman was using whatever she could find to keep the Hollow at bay. The way she sat on the ground indicated to Byakuya that she had been injured. She was fighting for her life, which wasn’t what surprised Byakuya. He understood the desire to survive. What surprised Byakuya was the look of fierce determination on her pale face. In a way, she reminded him of his sister’s human friends.

The woman, however determined she looked, was losing to the Hollow. It was plain to Byakuya that the Hollow was just toying with her. He closed the distance between them, appearing between the human and the Hollow. He released his Zanpakutou as he did so. “Chire, Senbonzakura.” The human behind him let out a surprised cry as the Hollow was attacked by the cherry blossom-like blades of Senbonzakura. Just as quickly as it had begun, the battle was over and Byakuya sheathed Senbonzakura and began to walk away. He never truly expected that she would see him without his gigai on or that she had seen the Hollow for what it was.

“Save them,” came a pleading voice from behind him. Byakuya stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. The young woman’s eyes locked onto his. “I don’t know what you or that thing are, but please save Kohaku and Hisana!” Byakuya’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the sound of his late wife’s name. “They’re just babies, they won’t survive on their own,” the human girl continued. She moved slightly, wincing as she did so, to reveal two small figures huddled behind her.

Byakuya moved back over to them, taking in the sight of them. Though injured, the young woman still looked determined and a little defiant. Byakuya understood why she had fought so hard as he glanced behind her to see a boy of about three clutching tightly to a swaddled infant. All three of them seemed to share the same jet black hair – though the older girl’s seemed to have rainbow stripes in it – and chocolate brown eyes. Byakuya noted that none of them bore any resemblance to his Hisana or to Rukia.

“Well? Are you going to help them or what?!” the young woman demanded. She was answered by a clap of thunder and a sudden downpour of rain.

Byakuya looked down at her, unaffected by the rain. “I will help.”

“Thank you.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura, present**

“Hisana! What did I tell you about following Byakuya-san around?” scolded a black and rainbow haired woman. She reached down and picked the toddler up. “He’s a busy man,” the older woman said to the young girl.

“It is fine. I do not mind her presence,” Byakuya said as he watched the pair. It was hard to look at them without picturing what could have been with his Hisana. He was still no closer to understanding why he had even agreed to help them at all. There were so many possibilities – maybe it was from the feelings brought forth by the mention of Hisana’s name; maybe there had been something about the older one’s expression; maybe it was a little bit of both. Looking at the older woman at that moment, he could still see that spark of determination mixed with pure adoration for the child in her arms.

Byakuya hadn’t been the only one surprised by his actions. The other Shinigami been equally surprised. Kuchiki Byakuya was the Shinigami least likely to develop a soft spot for anyone of a lower station let alone a human. Somehow, though, he had ended up with three.

“Still…”

“Hotaru, it is fine,” he said again.

The woman’s face lit up hearing him address her by her name. She had battled him every day about it. “Fine. Whatever. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when she becomes a nuisance,” she conceded. Byakuya offered her a faint smile. Hotaru smirked at that. “I see that smile, you know. Careful or the others might think you’ve gone human on them,” she teased.

“I am certain no one would believe you. They may doubt your sanity instead,” he replied calmly.

“I do believe you are trying to crack a joke! I see we’ve been a good influence on you,” laughed Hotaru. “Anyway, I should go find my other troublesome sibling,” Hotaru said.

Byakuya gave a slight nod and stepped aside to let Hotaru and Hisana by him. “Hotaru?”

The young woman glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“You… may call upon me as well outside of our lunches if you ever need to,” Byakuya offered hesitantly. “I know this situation is a … difficult one to adjust to,” he added.

“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind,” Hotaru told him with a smile. Byakuya nodded and they went their separate ways, one feeling confused and awkward and the other feeling extremely happy.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fall of Soul Society and a glimpse into the lives of the Shinigami in hiding (Basically a giant flashback chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just a quick note - present day is 2008. Bleach, chronologically, is still back in 2003 (as per the timeline from the Bleach Wiki).

**Soul Society 2003**

“Run Nanao.”

As she ran, those words haunted Ise Nanao. She was abandoning her taichou by following his command, which left her feeling conflicted more than anything. She should have ignored him. She should have stayed to help. She should turn back. She would go back. Ise Nanao was a fukutaichou and she would fight beside her taichou. She turned back the way she came, determined. She would stand or fall beside Kyouraku-taichou as she always had.

She was too late.

Nanao stopped, staring at the scene before her in disbelief and confusion. Ukitake-taichou laid at her feet in a pool of blood. The sight caused Nanao’s resolve to falter. If Ukitake had fallen so easily, what hope did she have?

“There is no hope for you.”

Those words sent a shiver of fear through Nanao. She tore her eyes away from the corpse at her feet only to find Aizen Sousuke standing across from her, only an arm’s reach away. “You…!”

Aizen regarded the woman for a moment. “You were wasted on a man such as Kyouraku Shunsui. Come with me and your talents will only flourish,” he said, offering Nanao his hand.

The dark haired woman narrowed her eyes at her enemy. “Where is Kyouraku-soutaichou?” she demanded, ignoring the offered hand.

“Right behind me,” Aizen said, turning slightly and pointing with the same hand he had offered the woman.

A strangled sort of sound escaped her lips and in an instant Nanao was on her knees next to her fallen taichou. The sight of Kyouraku Shunsui on the ground with one of his own swords in his chest was even more unbelievable than Ukitake dead in a pool of blood. Nanao looked down into Kyouraku’s dead eyes, trembling. Rage and despair were the only things she could feel as she took in his face. Finally she tore her gaze away and gently closed his eyes.

“Now you see fighting me is futile. Join me and live or die on your knees next to your worthless taichou,” Aizen said from behind her.

Nanao knew she could not defeat him but she didn’t have to die on her knees either. She rose and grabbed the hilt of Kyouraku’s sword. “I will not die on my knees! I am a fukutaichou, not some weak girl!”

“Another fool,” Aizen replied. He began to approach Nanao, who continued to stand her ground. He would kill her just as quickly as he had killed Kyouraku and Ukitake. Nanao pulled the sword from Kyouraku’s chest and held it shakily. She would do her best to avenge her taichou.

An explosion ripped through an outer wall before Nanao or Aizen could engage one another. Nanao backed up, almost tripping over Kyouraku, while Aizen remained unaffected. It was almost as if he had anticipated the attack.

“Looks like we’re too late, Suì-Feng.”

“Healing me took too long. You should have left me!”

“Shihouin Yoruichi, you seem to enjoy sticking your nose into my business,” Aizen commented as he turned his gaze onto the two intruders.

“Suì-Feng, get her out of here,” Yoruichi instructed, ignoring Aizen for the moment. “I’ll hold him off.”

Suì-Feng made her way over to the stunned Nanao. “Come on, Ise-fukutaichou,” she said, being oddly gentle. “Yoruichi-sama will be okay.” Nanao just nodded, not really understanding what was going on anymore. All her rage and despair had dissipated, making her feel suddenly fatigued. She allowed herself to be away by the smaller Shinigami woman. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura 2003**

“This is everyone, then?” Urahara Kisuke asked Shihouin Yoruichi and Suì-Feng.

“Everyone we could get before Aizen figured out what we were doing,” Suì-Feng answered grimly.

“And the soutaichou?” Urahara asked, glancing over at Ise Nanao. Urahara frowned as he took in her state.

“Aizen went for him first. She was the only one alive,” Yoruichi answered softly. Urahara nodded, looking grave. Not many Shinigami were present at his shop. It gave him little hope at that moment. “Where’s Ichigo?” Yoruichi asked, looking around the training area.

“He went to find his family. What about Ishida Uryuu?” Urahara answered with another question.

“He’s probably in Karakura. I think he’s smart enough to come here instead of loiter in Soul Society,” answered Yoruichi.

“You’re right about that, Yoruichi-sama,” Suì-Feng spoke up, pointing to the group that had just entered Urahara’s underground training facility. 

Yoruichi and Urahara looked over, their eyes falling on Ichigo and Uryuu first. “Looks like everyone’s here,” Urahara said. Yoruichi and Suì-Feng both nodded. Along with Ichigo’s merry band of misfits, a handful of Shinigami and the remaining Visoreds were present.

“Tatsuki-chan!!!” Inoue Orihime exclaimed when she saw her friend among those who had entered with Ichigo.

“What the hell is Quincy bastard doing here?!” growled a battered Madarame Ikkaku, Orihime’s outburst drawing his attention to the group. With Ikkaku’s outburst, all eyes were on Ichigo and Uryuu. It was safe to say the Shinigami were not pleased to see Uryuu.

“He’s with us,” Ichigo said calmly. 

“He’s a traitor!” Ikkaku growled.

“He had his reasons,” Ichigo told everyone.

“It’s okay, Kurosaki,” Uryuu spoke up.

“Let’s hear his reasons before jumping to conclusions. Everyone here has the same enemy – Aizen Sousuke! Or have you forgotten that?!” bellowed Isshin, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “This young man has just as much reason to want Yhwach dead as the rest of you! He went about it his own way.” Isshin stepped in front of his son and Uryuu. “I owe him a huge debt, so anyone who wants to harm him has to go through me.”

“Kurosaki-san… thank you,” Uryuu said.

“And just who are you anyway?” asked Ayasegawa Yumichika.

“I’m the former tenth division taichou, Shiba Isshin.”

"He’s my old man. He can be a little dramatic,” Ichigo added, looking slightly annoyed.

“Hey! You’re ruining my cool entrance!” Isshin complained.

“We don’t have time for games!” Ichigo said, exasperated.

“I’m afraid your son is right, Kurosaki-san,” Urahara intervened. “Aizen has killed Kyouraku-soutaichou and Ukitake-taichou.”

“He… what?!” Rukia gasped in shock.

“That’s impossible!” cried Yadoumaru Lisa, her eyes widening behind her glasses.

“It’s not.” Lisa turned to face Nanao, who was still clutching the sword she had pulled from Kyouraku’s body. “Killed with Katen Kyoukotsu,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“If Kyouraku-soutaichou didn’t stand a chance, then what makes you think we do?” Hisagi Shuuhei demanded.

“Whether we stand a chance or not, we have to try. We’re the only ones standing between Aizen and the rest of the world,” Ryuuken said. “Isshin is right. Shinigami, Quincy, ordinary human – there is no difference between us right now.”

“I think I can come up with a method to defeat Aizen with a bit of time,” Urahara said nonchalantly.

“The rest of us will be fighting whatever Aizen sends our way while you do that,” Yoruichi said, glaring at everyone in the room.

“For now, though, we have Inoue-san, Kotetsu-fukutaichou, and Yamada-san to help heal any injuries,” Urahara informed everyone.

“What about somewhere for people to rest?” Hisagi asked, glancing at Nanao.

Urahara nodded, catching on to what Hisagi was getting at. “Of course. There is a room in the shop. Tessai can show you. Hisagi approached Nanao and led her off, speaking quietly to her.

“Hitsugaya-taichou looks like he could use a room, too. He didn’t even react to his former taichou,” Suì-Feng said quietly to Urahara. The petite 2nd Division taichou had decided to put her grudge against Urahara aside for the time being.

“Ah, it may be too late for that. Kurosaki-san has discovered Hitsugaya-taichou,” Urahara said, speaking just as quietly as Suì-Feng. Both of them watched as Isshin approached the comatose looking Hitsugaya. They couldn’t hear what Isshin was saying but they could tell it was more bad news being passed around. They watched Isshin’s face crumple before he hugged Hitsugaya.

“I bet they’re talking about Matsumoto,” Suì-Feng state.

Urahara nodded. “Inoue-san told me about the scene she found him at.”

“Can you really come up with a way to defeat Aizen?” the tiny taichou asked, looking up at Urahara.

The blond former taichou looked down at Suì-Feng with a grim but determined look. “I sure as hell hope so.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**London, England 2005**

It was another rainy day in London. Hirako Shinji sat in a small coffee shop and watched the rain fall. London showed signs of damage caused by Aizen thought it was nowhere near as bad as Karakura. Most of the places Shinji and the Visoreds had travelled to were better off than Karakura. Aizen knew his enemies would gather there. That was one of the many reasons the Visoreds had decided to leave. They had travelled over most of Europe, never staying in one place for too long. Until they had reached London. They had been in London for almost three months. Something about the city just seemed to resonate with Shinji.

“Hirako-taichou?”

Shinji blinked and looked away from the window. “Hinamori? What are you doing here?”

Hinamori Momo, Shinji’s fukutaichou, just smiled and held up a paper bag and a travel mug. “I like the food and tea here,” she admitted.

“Yeah, food’s pretty decent,” agreed Shinji.

“Is something on your mind?” Momo asked. She set her food and drink down on Shinji’s table and pulled out the chair across from him.

“Just thinking that I like this place,” Shinji said as Momo sat down. “It’s resilient. Kinda like us.”

“I suppose so. I prefer the Seireitei myself, but I think London will do until we can go back,” Momo confessed. She reached up and played with a stray lock of her black hair. She had let her hair grow longer than she’d ever worn it in the past though she wasn’t sure if she liked it or not.

“You know, I don’t think I ever told ya how much I like your hair that length,” Shinji told Momo as he watched her play with her hair.

Momo blushed faintly. “You’re not going to tell me I’m your first love again, are you?”

Shinji smiled at Momo – a genuine smile – and reached over to ruffle her hair playfully. “Nah. Just wanted to compliment ya.”

“Thank you, Taichou,” Momo said with a smile.

“C’mon. I bet the others are wondering where we are.”

“Actually, everyone left the house before me,” Momo informed Shinji.

“Let’s go have some fun, then, Hinamori,” suggested Shinji.

“In the rain? What if there’s an attack?” Momo asked quickly.

“We’ll deal with ‘what ifs’ when they actually happen. Gotta have fun sometimes,” Shinji told his fukutaichou as he stood up.

“I know that!” Momo exclaimed as she rose to her feet as well.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura 2005**

“Maybe we should think about leaving, like the Quincy and Hirako-taichou’s group,” Yumichika suggested to Hisagi and Ikkaku. Karakura had been going through a quiet spell and Yumichika was growing restless. He knew Ikkaku was as well.

“And go where?” Ikkaku asked.

“Anywhere. This world is pretty big,” was Yumichika’s reply.

“I’ll go if Nanao will go,” Hisagi told Yumichika, who nodded. Hisagi and Nanao had quite grown close during the few years they had been hiding in Karakura.

“That would be to our advantage. Ise is formidable and scary in a hot kind of way,” Ikkaku pointed out.

“Don’t talk about her like that!” Hisagi growled warningly.

“Strong women are sexy,” Ikkaku stated with a shrug.

“I think we should recruit Kotetsu, too,” Yumichika suggested, hoping to keep Hisagi and Ikkaku from arguing. “Her healing abilities would be an asset.”

“Keh. Fine,” Ikkaku agreed, though he was a bit reluctant to do so. He couldn’t argue with Yumichika’s logic but he didn’t have to like it. Ikkaku didn’t know how well the 4th Division’s fukutaichou could hold her own in a serious fight and it worried him.

“I’ll talk to her while Hisagi talks to Ise,” Yumichika said to Ikkaku and Hisagi, who nodded in agreement.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the lives of the Quincies after Aizen's take over of Soul Society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late update is late. Apologies. Was away for a wedding and missed posting because I spent all of Sunday on the highway. Enjoy!

**Karakura 2004**

Yuzu walked down the hall to the room she shared with her father and siblings. She had spent the last hour training by herself. She felt rather accomplished and couldn’t wait to share it with her family. As the only Kurosaki who could use her abilities, Yuzu felt special. She had come so far in the last year that she finally felt like she was on equal footing with her siblings. It made her feel light and happy. When she reached the door to the Kurosaki living quarters, Yuzu stopped outside it. She could hear voices from inside, most of which didn’t belong to her family.

“We need to do this Isshin. We need to find more of our own kind,” came the voice of Ishida Ryuuken through the door.

“You don’t know that there are any like our kids left, Ryuuken,” came Isshin’s reply.

Yuzu frowned and opened the door, causing the conversation to stop abruptly. ”What’s going on?” she demanded, noticing that Uryuu and Urahara Kisuke were also present.

“It’s nothing, Yuzu-chan! Daddy was just talking strategy!!” Isshin exclaimed quickly. Despite her training, Isshin couldn’t help being especially protective of Yuzu.

“Must you lie to the girl? She’s not as ignorant as you like to pretend,” the older Ishida aid, his annoyance with Isshin obvious.

“She’s my child, not yours Ryuuken!” Isshin shot back.

“Reminds you of another Shinigami-Quincy friendship, doesn’t it Yuzu-san?” Urahara commented.

“What are you implying Urahara-san?” Uryuu asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Urahara replied, waving his fan at Uryuu. 

“What’s going on Ishida-kun?” Yuzu asked Uryuu.

Uryuu glanced over at their bickering fathers and sighed. “We’re going to leave to see if Yhwach left any other children with Quincy blood alive, Yuzu. We’re leaving tonight,” he informed her honestly, watching as the look of confusion turned to one of grim realization on the young girl’s face.

“Why did you tell her?” Isshin snapped.

“She’s a Quincy and deserves our honesty,” Ryuuken answered for his son.

“She’s my little girl!”

“Ishida-san is right, I’m a Quincy too,” Yuzu spoke up. “I want to go too. Let me help, Ishida-san, Ishida-kun,” she added pleadingly.

“Yuzu, no! You’re still new to this world!” Isshin said.

“You and Ichi-nii-san and Karin-chan can’t always be the ones who save people! And who will train me if Ishida-kun is gone?” Yuzu asked her father.

“She does make a valid point. A cavern filled with Shinigami is no place for a Quincy-in-training,” Urahara spoke up, playing the devil’s advocate in Yuzu’s favour. However, a glare from Isshin made Urahara go quiet.

“I will allow you to come,” Ryuuken said as he stood up to leave.

“Ryuuken! She isn’t Masaki!”

Ryuuken glared down at Isshin. “As Masaki’s daughter, she deserves to make her own choice just as Masaki made hers.”

Isshin stood and looked Ryuuken in the eye. “You better protect her with your life, Ryuuken.”

“You have my word, Isshin.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Japan 2008**

“I think it’s time to get moving again,” Ishida Uryuu said.

“Are you sure it’s wise? We’ve only been resting for a couple hours,” his father, Ryuuken, replied. The two bespectacled men stared long and hard at each other. Both were stubborn and refused to listen to the other without some sort of argument occurring.

“We need to get back to Karakura,” Uryuu insisted. “We’ve waited too long as it is.”

“Waiting was the best idea. It still is considering Yuzu’s condition,” Ryuuken fired back.

“She’s pregnant, not dying!” Uryuu exclaimed, exasperated.

“Exactly! It is safer to take our time! You forget I know a lot more about these things than you do,” Ryuuken said condescendingly. Uryuu narrowed his eyes at his father. He opened his mouth to reply and closed it immediately as Kurosaki Yuzu walked into the room. Even Ryuuken remained silent.

“I could hear you two fighting from upstairs,” the eighteen year old Yuzu said. She looked from Uryuu to Ryuuken. “Shouldn’t we all be involved in making this decision?” she asked them gently. Her voice held no traces of anger or annoyance as she addressed the two Quincy men. Instead, she was the voice of reason.

“Of course you have a say in this decision. We just want to do what is best for you and the baby,” Ryuuken assured Yuzu.

The strawberry haired girl smiled at Ryuuken. “I know and I appreciate it,” she told him before she turned to face Uryuu. “I think you’re both right,” she told her boyfriend.

“You… what?” Uryuu asked, surprised.

“Yes, it’s important to return to Karin-chan and everyone else as fast as we can,” Yuzu told him. “But I think we all could do with more rest. Travelling is taking its toll on all of us. Even you, Uryuu.”  
The dark haired man watched Yuzu carefully for a moment. She did have a valid point. He could tell just by looking at her that she was starting to get worn out faster than usual. He also couldn’t deny that he was starting to feel it, too. “We’ll do what works best for you, then,” Uryuu said. ”Because you always know what’s best for everyone.”

“Good. Now who wants dinner? I’ll make us something amazing!” Yuzu asked, promptly changing the subject on the Ishida men.

“Sure, dinner sounds great,” Uryuu said, conceding defeat.

Yuzu beamed at him before slipping off into the kitchen. “That girl is so much like her mother,” Ryuuken said when Yuzu was gone.

“No wonder she has you under her thumb,” Uryuu muttered under his breath.

Ryuuken ignored his son’s snide comment. “Cheerful and strong. She’s come a long way thanks to you.”

“Thanks,” Uryuu said, surprised. He looked at his father briefly before following Yuzu into the kitchen. He had had a strained relationship with his father for such a long time that Uryuu didn’t really know how to take the rare moments of praised he received from Ryuuken. Instead, Uryuu opted to watch his girlfriend from the kitchen door. Yuzu’s presence was calming and reassuring. She was his hope, his strength. He would do everything possible to protect her.

“Uryuu, you’re staring,” Yuzu said as she worked on prepping their dinner.

“Sorry,” he murmured before moving over to her.

“What’s on your mind?” she asked as she began to wash some rice.

“Us, our future,” Uryuu replied as he stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

“All good things, I hope,” she said as she leaned into Uryuu.

“Always.” Uryuu placed his hands lightly on Yuzu’s growing belly. “If we can defeat Aizen…”

“When, not if,” Yuzu corrected Uryuu. She had complete and unshakable faith in not just Uryuu but her brother and father as well.

Uryuu kissed the top of Yuzu’s head. “Thank you for always believing in me,” he said softly into her strawberry hair.

“Thank you for believing in me,” Yuzu replied.

“I love you, Kurosaki Yuzu,” Uryuu declared. Though he couldn’t see her face Uryuu knew Yuzu was grinning from ear to ear.

“I love you, too, Ishida Uryuu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, just an FYI, Yuzu is legal and all that good stuff.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urahara's years of plotting are slowly coming together while Hitsugaya returns to their safe haven with some unexpected additions. And across the world, Ikkaku and his companions find a haven of their own.

**Karakura 2008, Several Days Later**

“Orihime-san! Might I have a word with you?” Urahara Kisuke asked as he approached the busty woman. Several days had passed since Urahara had sent Rukia and Renji to snap Ichigo out of his funk.

“What is it Urahara-san?” Inoue Orihime asked after she had answered her door.

Urahara smiled pleasantly at her. “I was hoping you would assist me for a while,” he admitted.

Orihime eye him curiously. Though he was smiling, Orihime knew it didn’t reach his eyes despite them being shaded by his bucket hat. “With what?”

Urahara stepped into her room and closed the door behind him. “I have a theory regarding your abilities I’d like to look into testing,” Urahara answered, all seriousness now that he and Orihime were alone.

“I see,” was all Orihime said.

Urahara continued, “I think it could be the way to defeat Aizen once and for all. I want you to work with me. Just us.”

Orihime stood in silence, allowing all that he said to sink in. “No one else?”

Urahara nodded. “The less people who know, the less false hope they are given.”

“I suppose I can help you out,” Orihime finally agreed.

Urahara smiled again. “Wonderful, wonderful! Thank you, Orihime-san!” Orihime nodded and moved to open her door so she could show Urahara out. Once her door was open, she could hear the sounds of a big commotion coming down the hall from the haven’s main gathering space. “My, my, everyone sounds so lively out there!” Urahara said as she snapped his fan open.

“Maybe Yoruichi-san is back?” suggested Orihime.

“Shall we go see?” Orihime nodded and led the way down the hall. The noise got louder with every step they took towards it.

“Put me down! You can’t do this!”

“Please let Gin-chan go!!”

“Stop squirming or I’ll drop you on your head!!!”

Orihime gave Urahara a wide eyed look. She recognized all three voices though she thought it couldn’t be possible. Two of the speakers had died a long time ago. She dashed the rest of the way down the hall, leaving Urahara behind. She entered the open gathering space and almost ran into Byakuya and the oldest of the trio he had rescued. “Kuchiki-taichou, Hotaru-chan, what’s going on?” Orihime asked them quietly.

“Hitsugaya-san came back with two children and everyone seems to be on edge,” Hotaru replied when Byakuya failed to. She then stepped aside to let Orihime by.

Orihime brushed by Hotaru and stopped. She could not believe what she was seeing. Hitsugaya Toushirou stood with a child on either side of him – one with silver hair that Orihime noticed Hitsugaya was carrying like an American football. The other was a girl with shoulder length red hair. Both were young, likely the same age as Hotaru’s younger brother.

“Please Jii-san you have to let Gin-chan go!” the girl begged, looking at Hitsugaya with big, pleading blue eyes. Hitsugaya looked down at the girl and his stern, annoyed look faltered slightly. He was looking into a younger version of a face he had looked up into countless times before. Now he towered over her, having grown at least a foot over the past five years. The silver haired boy twisted and sank his teeth into Hitsugaya’s arm while the Shinigami was distracted. The white haired Shinigami growled and dropped the silver haired boy. “You bit me! You little…!”

The girl ran over to the fallen boy and wrapped her arms around him. “I wanna go home, Gin-chan!” she sniffled and buried her face into his shoulder.

“Dontcha worry, Ran-chan,” he said soothingly.

Orihime felt her heart melt slightly at the sight of the two children. Even if seeing the little boy made her think about her time in Hueco Mundo, she couldn’t hold it against him. “What… what are your names?” she asked, approaching them.

“I’m Kanasawa Gin,” the silver haired boy said. “And this is Ran,” he added, patting the red haired girl on the head.

“Where are your parents?” Orihime asked gently.

“Mine are dead,” Gin answered. “Dunno about Ran-chan’s. I found her in a park all alone.”

“That’s horrible!” Hotaru exclaimed from behind Hotaru.

“Where did you find them Toushirou?” Ichigo asked.

Orihime turned, noticing for the first time that all the Shinigami were in the cavernous room. “And why were you carrying Gin like a ball?” she asked since Ichigo had asked the initial question on her mind.

Hitsugaya ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I was on patrol and I saw… Ran… sitting alone in the park. I thought I was rescuing her when that little monster came at me from behind,” he said, feeling embarrassed that he had been caught off guard by a little kid. “I should have went without my gigai,” he muttered.

“They can be problematic at times,” Byakuya said in agreement.

“But they are part of the reason we’re safe here,” Urahara spoke up from the door that Orihime had run through by herself. Once of the first things Urahara Kisuke had done after creating his underground haven was produce new gigai that masked the reiatsu of the Shinigami staying there. The gigai along with wards around the haven kept them and their location hidden from Aizen and his minions.

“I ain’t letting anyone take Ran-chan from me! She needs me!” Gin yelled, bringing everyone’s attention back to him and Ran.

“I want my Gin-chan!” Ran piped up.

“No one’s going to separate you two,” Hotaru said reassuringly.

“He could not possibly be allowed to remain here,” Byakuya said, eyeing Gin warily.

“He’s just a baby!” Hotaru said sharply, glaring at Byakuya.

“He is… was someone who did horrible things in Soul Society,” Orihime said softly to Hotaru. She felt sorry for the dark haired woman. There were so many things they hadn’t told Hotaru about regarding what was going on in the world or the events leading up to it.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about but Ran-chan and I are gonna leave,” Gin spoke up.

“We should let them stay. He may be Ichimaru reincarnated, but if he stays here Aizen can’t get him again,” Rukia said, glancing from Orihime to Byakuya.

“Rukia-chan does have a point,” admitted Orihime.

“I guess,” Hitsugaya muttered.

“Then it’s settled! We have two more children,” Urahara said as he snapped his fan shut.

“Where do you plan to put them? They cannot stay in a room by themselves,” Byakuya asked Urahara.

“They can stay with me,” Orihime offered even though she was a bit wary about the idea.

“Are you sure?” Urahara asked her.

Orihime nodded. “I am.”

“You better not give Inoue a hard time, you little monster,” Hitsugaya snapped at Gin.

“Gin-chan’s not a monster! Be nice to Gin-chan, Jii-san!” Ran demanded, glaring up at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya sighed and relented. “Fine, he’s not a monster.”

“If you make Ran-chan cry again, I will be one,” Gin threatened. For a child he was incredibly serious and eloquent, which only served to remind the Shinigami present of the deceased Ichimaru Gin.

“Maybe Gin and Ran would like to play with Kohaku,” Hotaru spoke up, hoping to distract the children.

“Let’s go play, Gin-chan!!” Ran exclaimed.

“Sure, Ran-chan,” Gin agreed.

“C’mon, Kohaku has some really cool toys,” the dark haired woman said, motioning for Gin and Ran to follow her. “Then afterwards I’ll show you where Orihime-san’s room is. She’s really very nice and….” Hotaru continued as she and the two children disappeared down a hallway.

When they were gone, the Shinigami all looked at each other. A mix of emotions ran through the group from confusion to trepidation. “Well, this certainly is an interesting turn of events,” Urahara said, breaking what he deemed an awkward silence.

“I’ve never seen a Shinigami reborn in this world before,” Rukia said.

“It’s creepy,” Renji added.

“It’s the circle of life and death. Humans die and go to Soul Society. Souls from Soul Society get reborn as humans. It helps keep things balanced,” Urahara explained.

“Aizen ruined the balance though,” Ichigo interjected.

“Yes, he did. But death and rebirth don’t stop,” Urahara answered.

“Things will continue to stay unbalance until everything is destroyed. This is why we must kill Aizen,” Hitsugaya added, giving Urahara an icy look.

“Yes, yes, but it takes time to kill someone who is immortal,” Urahara told the young taichou, unaffected by the glare.

“If Aizen is immortal he can’t be killed!” Ichigo said, sounding exasperated.

Urahara just smiled and opened his fan again. “Wrong, Kurosaki-san. It just means he is harder to kill.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hitsugaya sat outside the haven in his gigai and some warm clothes later that evening. The sun was beginning to set a cool breeze fluttered through his white hair. The nights were growing chillier with each passing day but the young Shinigami didn’t really mind it. The cold didn’t bother him like it did normal people. Instead, it made him feel a little better after all that had happened during the day. He definitely needed some time to himself to think. Despite there being more reminders of Aizen thanks to the partial destruction of parts of Karakura, outside was still the quieter option. Some areas, such as the former Kurosaki clinic, were in such bad shape that Hitsugaya was reminded of the destruction that had fallen upon the Seireitei. He and other Shinigami had stayed and fought as long as they could against Aizen that day. Unfortunately, just as many Shinigami had ended up joining Aizen’s cause as those who had died fighting against it. His fukutaichou, Matsumoto Rangiku, had been among the ones to lose their lives.

Hitsugaya had not been with Matsumoto at the time. Rather, they had agreed to split up instead. Matsumoto and her team had been ambushed thanks to a betrayal by one of their division members. When he had felt her reiatsu vanish, Hitsugaya had raced off to find her. Thinking about that moment made his stomach turn even years after the fact. He had found her Haineko first, her hand still clutching the zanpkautou’s hilt. He had then found the rest of her scattered around the area. There had been so much blood on the ground he had almost slipped in it. Hitsugaya didn’t remember much else from that day. He wasn’t even sure how he had made it to Karakura. He had never bothered to ask anyone after the fact. He likely never would. Instead he focused on surviving each day as best as he could. The desire to avenge Matsumoto’s death drove him forward. Losing Matsumoto had been his breaking point, leaving Hitsugaya’s heart frozen solid.

“Hitsugaya-taichou?” Hitsugaya came back to reality rather quickly at the sound of his name. He turned and glanced at the woman behind him, his chest tightening at the sight of her. Inoue Orihime sometimes reminded him of Matsumoto even though their hair colour and bust size were the only things they had physically in common. “Are you okay?” Orihime asked as she approached him. Hitsugaya nodded a bit. Orihime frowned but said nothing. She didn’t want to upset him more.

“Are you okay Inoue?” Hitsugaya asked.

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I be?” the red head asked, confused.

“Because of those two kids staying with you….”

“Oh,” was all Orihime said. Then she shrugged. “I guess I don’t really have any bad experiences with Ichimaru other than finding him creepy.”

“Ah,” was Hitsugaya’s reply.

Orihime nodded as she sat next to Hitsugaya. “I know he caused you and Hinamori and Rangiku-san lots of pain. And Rangiku-san and I did keep in touch, so I know why he did what he did.”

“To avenge Matsumoto,” Hitsugaya said.

Orihime nodded. “Because he cared for her and she cared for him. Now they’re getting a second chance. We can keep Aizen from ruining this one for them,” she said, trying to explain her feelings on the situation. She wasn’t sure if she was doing a very good job.

“What’s your point, Inoue?” demanded Hitsugaya. The white haired Shinigami glared at the busty woman, finally tall enough to look her in the eye.

“We all get a second chance with Rangiku-san. You, me, Ichimaru. We get to make new memories and make sure Aizen never separates her from her precious loved ones again!” Hitsugaya regarded Orihime thoughtfully for a moment. Her words did make sense. And they sounded amazing to him, full of promise and hope. Hope, a feeling Hitsugaya Toushirou hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope could be a dangerous thing, though. Hitsugaya wasn’t sure if he could open himself up to feeling any sort of hope. He didn’t think he could take his hope being destroyed again. “It’ll be hard but I think Rangiku-san would want you to be happy,” Orihime added softly.  
“I know that!” Hitsugaya snapped. When he saw the hurt in Orihime’s eyes, his expression softened. “I’m sorry. It’s just…,” he started, running a hand through his snowy hair. “It’s really hard to deal with, Inoue.”

Orihime smiled gently and pulled Hitsugaya into a hug. “I know it is.” Hitsugaya leaned into Orihime and did something he hadn’t done in a long time – he cried.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Canada 2008**

“It’s too cold for this shit!” Ikkaku growled as je paced back and forth across the wooden floors of the cabin he and his companions were staying in. “Why did we have to come here?!”

“Please calm down Ikkaku-san! And please stop pacing like that! You’ll reopen your wound!” Kotetsu Isane pleaded. She stood a few feet from where the hairless Shinigami was pacing. Ikkaku glowered but stopped pacing.

“Enough Madarame,” Nanao said as she entered the room. “You know exactly why we’re here.” 

Ikkaku turned away from Nanao and Isane, still feeling annoyed. The five of them had been ambushed by a group of Arrancar and although the Shinigami had won, both Yumichika and Hisagi had been badly injured. Ikkaku had made it out with mostly small wounds thanks to Isane. He glanced over his shoulder at the tall woman with newfound respect. “How is Hisagi-san doing?” he heard Isane ask Nanao.

“He’s finally asleep. Thank you, Isane, for saving him,” Nanao said softly.

“Ise,” Ikkaku said, turning to face both women again. “Did you let Kotetsu heal you yet?”

“I’m fine,” Nanao snapped.

“I saw that Arrancar land a hit on you! You aren’t fine! Stop being so reckless!” Ikkaku snapped back.

Nanao narrowed her eyes. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black! You’re the most reckless person here!” Nanao pointed out.

“I don’t have some kind of death wish! You trying to die to be back with Kyouraku?!” Ikkaku demanded.

Isane gasped softly, surprised, while Nanao went pale. “Ikkaku-san, that’s enough,” Isane said.

“You know nothing about that!” Nanao hissed.

“You’re not the only person here with a dead taichou, Ise!” Ikkaku said, his voice low. “None of us have our taichou.”

“Why don’t we go to another room and fix you up, Nanao,” offered Isane, hoping to keep a fight from breaking out.

“Do you think Hisagi would be okay knowing you’re trying to throw your life away?! Or Kyouraku-soutaichou?!” Ikkaku continued.

“If I hadn’t run, they could both be alive right now!” Nanao insisted angrily.

“You’re really stupid for a smart woman. Aizen would have killed you too!” Ikkaku said matter-of-factly. He sighed when he saw the tears streaming down Nanao’s face. “It’s fine to mourn them and to want to avenge them but for the sake of everyone here, don’t throw your life away to do it. You’re still needed, Nanao,” he added, speaking in an uncharacteristically gentle manner.

“Ikkaku-san is right. We still need you to win his war,” agreed Isane, eyeing Ikkaku. He was not the only one whose opinion was changing. Isane definitely found a new respect for the bald man.

“Fine, Isane. I’ll let you heal me,” Nanao said to Isane as her tears started to slow.

“Thank you,” Isane said, relieved that they had hopefully gotten through to Nanao. “Ikkaku-san, can you leave the room please?”

“Sure, Kotetsu,” Ikkaku said. “I’ll go check on Yumichika,” he added before leaving the room.

“Isane?” Nanao said softly.

“Hmm?”

Nanao looked up at the taller woman as Isane approached her. “I’m sorry.”

Isane just shook her head. “Don’t be. I understand your loss. Unohana-taichou was like a mother to me,” she said as she set to work on Nanao. “Just remember him as he was when he was alive. Don’t dwell on anything after that.”

“I can still see them so vividly when I close my eyes,” confessed Nanao.

“Sometimes I dream I’m back at the moment Zaraki-taichou told me about Unohana-taichou,” Isane confided. “Then I start dreaming up all kinds of horrible ways for her to have died.”

“I’m so sorry, Isane. If Kyouraku-soutaichou hadn’t requested it–“

“Then we would likely be a lot worse off,” Isane interrupted. “Zaraki-taichou needed to be trained and Unohana-taichou was the only one who could do it.” Isane crouched down in front of Nanao. “I made peace with this already. The thing I have trouble with is her sacrifice being for nothing. Zaraki-taichou is dead too. Kyouraku-soutaichou and Ukitake-taichou sacrificed their lives for you and for all of us here. If we give up, theirs would be for nothing too.” Nanao sat in silence for the next little bit while Isane did her work. She thought about what her fellow fukutaichou had just said. Nanao didn’t think she was ready to make peace with Kyouraku’s just yet. She still had far too many regrets to be at peace. “All done,” Isane finally announced.

Nanao nodded a bit. “Thanks.”

“Do you need anything else Nanao?” Isane asked.

“No, thank you. You’re a good friend, Isane,” Nanao answered.

“All right.” Isane rose to her feet and stretched. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything. You should get some rest, too,” Isane added before leaving the living room. She was certain Nanao would talk when she was ready but Isane hated seeing people in pain. It went against her very nature not to help those who needed it. She sighed and walked into her room, where she stopped and blinked. Ikkaku was lying on her bed with his arms folded beneath his head. “Um… I think I have the wrong room,” she said quickly and began backing up.

“Nah. I was waiting for you,” Ikkaku replied without moving.

“You were waiting for me?” Isane sounded just a bit confused.

Ikkaku sat up. “To thank you for patching up Yumichika.

“Oh. How is he doing now?”

“Probably better than Ise.”

Isane sighed softly. “I feel awful for her. I think she loved him,” she said.

“Yeah, that was obvious,” agreed Ikkaku.

“I wish I could do more to help her,” Isane said as she finally made her way into the room and over to the bed. She sat down next to Ikkaku.

“Do you ever stop to think about yourself?” Ikkaku asked her, changing the subject.

“Of course I do. I like helping people, though,” Isane replied. Ikkaku glanced over at Isane quietly. He never really had much to do with her outside of her duties in the Fourth Division. To him, Isane was his opposite. He had never given her a second glance before that day. Even during their travels since leaving Karakura he hadn’t really given her much thought. Ikkaku frowned and looked at the floor. He had almost died that morning. The tall silver haired woman was the main reason he was still alive and he had underestimated her for so long. “How are you feeling, Ikkaku-san?” Isane asked while Ikkaku sat lost in thought.

“Kotetsu,” Ikkaku said, suddenly turning to look her in the eye.

“Yes?”

“Thanks for saving my ass today. You’ve got some skills after all,” he told her.

Isane blinked and flushed faintly. “Um… thanks?” she mumbled, unsure if Ikkaku was being genuine or not. The 11th Division had never been known for its kindness, especially where the 4th Division was concerned. But then, Isane had seen a whole other side to Ikkaku over the course of the day.

“We should work on your fighting technique, though. Maybe get you to the same level as me and Yumichika,” Ikkaku continued, oblivious to Isane’s uncertainty.

“Huh? You want to train me to fight like you?” Isane echoed him.

“Sure. We all need to be on the same level if we’re going to survive and we both know the fourth division wasn’t known for fighting,” replied Ikkaku.

“I can fight just fine! I’m a fukutaichou after all!” Isane protested.

Ikkaku just raised an eyebrow at Isane. “Sure, but being a fukutaichou doesn’t mean much. Yumichika and I are both lower seats than you,” he pointed out to her.

“Being strong isn’t just about brute strength!” insisted Isane.

“Whatever you say, Kotetsu,” Ikkaku said before standing up. “When you change your mind, come find us.”

“Only if you let me teach you some kidou!” Isane called when Ikkaku had reached the door.

Ikkaku stopped and looked back at her. “Fine, let’s see if you can,” he replied with a devilish grin. He knew she had been expecting him to decline simply because he was from the 11th Division. Under normal circumstances, he likely would have said “no”.

“What…?” Isane said, shocked. Ikkaku just chuckled and left the room, leaving Isane to dwell on their conversation.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fates are revealed in the aftermath of the Shinigami going on the run. Hotaru learns more about Gin's past life. Rukia and Byakuya share a bonding moment.

**Karakura 2007**  
“I think it may be time to call our travelling companions home, Yoruichi-san,” Urahara said randomly one warm July day. He and Yoruichi were sitting together in his workspace, enjoying tea together. It was something of a habit of theirs. No one bothered them at tea time, including Suì-Feng.

“Does this mean you’re close Kisuke?” Yoruichi asked her long-time companion.

“Maybe. I have a couple of theories to try even if I’m not,” Urahara answered. “I just think we need to face Aizen with as many of us as possible.”

“Obviously! Who knows how big Aizen’s army is now! It would be suicide to face him head on without an army of our own!”

“I trust you and Suì-Feng can handle it?” Urahara asked even though he knew the answer.

“Do you even have to ask?” scoffed Yoruichi.

Urahara shook his head, smiling. “I suppose not.”

“We’ll take anyone who wants to come with us,” Yoruichi added.

“How many people do you think that may be?” Urahara asked curiously.

Yoruichi shrugged. “Not many. Everyone seems preoccupied lately.”

“Kurosaki… I mean Shiba-san has been occupied since Kuukaku-san and her brother finally arrived but you might be able to convince him,” mused Urahara.

“Possibly. Byakuya-bou would be an asset,” Yoruichi mused as well.

Urahara chuckled. “He’s pretty busy pretending he isn’t playing the doting father to those two babies he found.”

“And walking around looking confused about their sister!” Yoruichi snorted.

“You’d think he’d never seen a woman before,” laughed Urahara.

“The poor kid. Maybe I should tell him what men and women are supposed to do,” suggested Yoruichi.

“I think you’d scare him to death that way,” Urahara told Yoruichi with a laugh.

“Boys these days,” Yoruichi said, shaking her head. “They don’t know how to have any fun.”

“Not everyone is like us, Yoruichi-san,” Urahara reminded her.

“I know, I know,” Yoruichi replied. She looked thoughtful for a moment.

Urahara watched her. “You have someone in mind?” he asked.

“Sado.”

Urahara nodded in agreement. “He is a good choice. I’m sure Sado-san would be willing to help you and Suì-Feng.”

“Well, that’s that,” Yoruichi said as she stood up. “Suì-Feng, did you hear all that?” Yoruichi shouted at the closed door. She smiled at the sounds of someone stumbling outside the door. Yoruichi walked over to the door and slid it open.

“Forgive me, Yoruichi-sama!!” Suì-Feng exclaimed from the floor, her face crimson.

“You dirty girl, hoping to catch me and Kisuke in the act weren’t you?” the purple haired woman asked with a wicked look on her face.

“We would have let you join in if you had asked!” Urahara called from where he was sitting.

Suì-Feng was on her feet in an instant. She looked around Yoruichi to glare at Urahara. “You can go to hell, Urahara!” she yelled. Yoruichi howled with laughter.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Paris, France 2008**  
Shinji walked through the streets of Paris, his hands in his pockets. Though it was early autumn there were still quite a few people out and about, touring the city. And despite everything happening in the world, Paris seemed to be in its own little world. It seemed largely untouched by Aizen and his followers. For Shinji, it was a much needed escape. He had been seeking an escape since London. Initially he had found solace in the French country side. Eventually, though, Shinji had found his way to Paris. He had needed to be on his own for a while. Since his fukutaichou had been killed, Shinji had been in an odd state. She had thrown herself between Shinji and a surprise Arrancar attack. It had hit him harder than any loss before ever had. Hinamori had been a sweet and selfless girl. She had stood by him since the day he had returned to the Gotei 13’s 5th Division. They had shared a unique bond due to their experiences with Aizen Sousuke. It had been Shinji’s idea for the two of them to go off and have a carefree day. He felt responsible for her death. If he hadn’t convinced her to have fun she might still be alive.

“I thought I might find you here,” came a voice from behind Shinji.

The blond haired man stopped in his tracks, pulled back to the present. “Whatcha doing in this part of the world?” he inquired without turning around.

“Kisuke sent me. It’s time to go back to Karakura.”

Shinji’s eyes widened slightly as spun around. He came face-to-face with Yoruichi. “He’s found a way to defeat Aizen?”

“He thought he was close when I left him. It’s taken us a year to find you,” Yoruichi answered.

“’Us’?”

Yoruichi nodded. “Sado and Suì-Feng. They’re with Hiyori and the others.” Shinji gave a bit of a nod in reply and Yoruichi continued, “They told us about London.”

“I got careless in London. Comfortable,” he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to make a home. But this is war and people die in wars,” Yoruichi reminded him. “We won’t win if we don’t fight together.”

“You found the Quincy too?” Shinji asked.

Yoruichi nodded. “They were easy to find. You’re the pain in the ass that kept moving,” she said.

“We too fast for the legendary Yoruichi?” Shinji teased.

Yoruichi snorted. “Hardly.”

“I assume you heard a thing or two during your travels,” Shinji said, suddenly serious once more.

Yoruichi nodded grimly. She had seen and heard some disturbing things during their time searching for the Visoreds. “Aizen has been up to some interesting activities in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo.”

“I hope Kisuke is ready with whatever he has up his sleeves.”

“I’ve kept in touch as much as I could with him.”

“Have you heard anything about Mashiro?”

Yoruichi shook her head. “Nothing.” Kuna Mashiro was the only Visored unaccounted for. She had been missing since the second wave of Quincy attacks on the Seireitei. Shinji had questioned Hisagi about her but the 9th Division fukutaichou hadn’t known any more than Shinji. Shinji was uneasy about the situation. Mashiro was strong but impulsive. In terms of brute strength she was easily on par with the high ranking members of the 11th Division. She was a good ally to have, which meant she would be one hell of an enemy. Shinji knew she would never willingly join Aizen but he also knew how cunning Aizen could be. “I bet she’s fine,” Yoruichi said even though her thoughts were similar to Shinji’s.

“Knowing Mashiro, she’s probably hiding under Aizen’s nose,” Shinji added in agreement.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There you are Baldy! What the hell took you so long?” Sarugaki Hiyori demanded when Shinji and Yoruichi walked into the modest home the Visoreds had moved into.

“Your scary face kept me away,” the blond man answered seriously.

“You bastard!” Hiyori growled, kicking him.

“Welcome back, Yoruichi-sama,” Suì-Feng said, joining Yoruichi.

“Did you manage to get any leads on Madarame and the others?” Yoruichi asked her former subordinate.

“Sado thinks they’re somewhere in North America. He’s been checking news reports on the computer,” Suì-Feng replied eagerly. The petite Shinigami would always be eager to please Yoruichi regardless of what had happened between them. Yoruichi nodded and quickly dodged a flying sandal that sailed by her. “Shouldn’t we stop those two?” Suì-Feng asked, motioning to the still arguing Hiyori and Shinji.

Yoruichi shook her head. “I want to see what Sado found. I need to contact Kisuke, too,” the violet haired woman said. Suì-Feng nodded but sent a fierce glare at Shinji, who had Hiyori’s cheeks pinched and stretched out.

Hiyori kicked Shinji again, causing the taller Visored to release her face. “Idiot,” she grumbled.

“You’re both idiots,” Suì-Feng told them before she followed Yoruichi away from the blond Visoreds.

“Thanks Hiyori,” Shinji said softly when Suì-Feng and Yoruichi were out of sight.

“Just stop wandering off. You’re starting to act like Ichigo,” Hiyori replied.

“Yoruichi said they don’t know anything about Mashiro,” Shinji continued.

Hiyori gave a nod. “Suì-Feng told us. She’ll turn up sooner or later.”

“I hope so,” Shinji said before following after Suì-Feng and Yoruichi. Hiyori wasn’t far behind him. They entered the dining room to find everyone else gathered there. Sado, Yoruichi, and Suì-Feng were gathered around the old laptop the Visoreds owned, focused on the screen. Lisa and Aikawa Love were at the table with several volumes of manga – all in French – sitting between them. Ushouda Hachigen, known as Hachi, was across the table from them with a cup of tea, listening to the quiet conversation coming from the three non-Visoreds. No one looked up when Shinji and Hiyori entered the room. “Looks like everyone’s been just fine without me,” Shinji commented.

“The world didn’t stop turning because you decided to go sulk,” Lisa said without looking up from the manga she was reading.

“I missed you too,” Shinji replied dryly. “I found a shop you’d like.”

“Good. Love’s manga is getting boring.”

“Yet you keep reading it,” Love pointed out. Lisa just shrugged at him.

“Welcome back,” Hachi said to Shinji.

“Thanks, Hachi.”

“Judging by these articles, we’re heading to Canada next,” Yoruichi interrupted. “While the rest of you are needed in Karakura. Kisuke’s getting close.

“You heard from him?” Hiyori asked.

Yoruichi nodded. “His plan sounds interesting.”

“That makes me worry,” Hiyori said with a sigh.

Yoruichi just grinned at the small blonde haired Visored. “Just think how worried Aizen needs to be.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura, several days later 2008**  
“That kid really is creepy,” Asano Keigo muttered as he watched Gin, Ran, Kohaku, and Hisana play together.

“You too, Keigo-kun?” Hotaru groaned. She, Keigo, Arisawa Tatsuki, and Kojima Mizuiro were lounging together in the haven’s common room. The four of them had formed a group of sorts. They were the only humans who weren’t truly involved in all the fighting and planning.

“What do you mean by that?” Keigo asked Hotaru, confused.

Hotaru tucked her hair behind her ear. “Everyone’s always so weird around Gin-chan. He’s such a sweetheart,” she replied.

“There’s just a lot you still don’t know,” Tatsuki told the younger woman.

“I got that much. And I get that Gin-chan reminds everyone of someone else,” Hotaru said.

“It’s a long story, but the guy they’re reminded of did a lot of terrible things. He had this unnerving smirk that reminded me of a snake,” explained Tatsuki.

“We don’t really know a whole lot about him either but he was terrifying,” added Keigo.

“You met him?” inquired Hotaru.

“I wouldn’t phrase it quite like that,” Mizuiro chimed in.

“The first time Aizen tried to destroy Karakura, the Shinigami moved Karakura into Soul Society. Except for us, everyone else was in a deep sleep. That’s how we saw Ichimaru,” Tatsuki explained.

“So have you guys always been able to see Shinigami and those monsters?” Hotaru asked.

“Only as long as Ichigo’s been a Shinigami,” answered Mizuiro.

“I’ve only been able to within the last few years but I never knew Ichigo before I met Byakuya-san,” Hotaru admitted. 

“That’s because of all the powerful Shinigami being here. It’s the affect they have on our world,” Keigo said.

Hotaru rubbed her temples. “This makes my head spin.”

Keigo patted her on the back. “It is pretty complicated.”

“Sounds like it,” sighed Hotaru.

“There you guys are!”

The four of them looked up to see a small group, led by Orihime, approach them. “What’s up Orihime?” Tatsuki asked her friend.

“We’ve decided to go and do something fun because things have been quiet, just like old times!” Orihime exclaimed cheerfully. The “we” she was referring to consisted of Rukia, Renji, Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and, surprisingly, Byakuya.

“Really?!” Keigo exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

“Yeah, we need to have fun once in a while,” Ichigo said.

Rukia nodded sagely from her spot next to him. “We need to appreciate the good things even during the bad times.

“Count me in,” Tatsuki said.

“Me too,” added Mizuiro.

“Are you coming too, Hotaru-chan?” Orihime asked.

“I should probably stay with the kids…”Hotaru said hesitantly.

“Karin can watch them,” Ichigo said.

“Ah… but…” Hotaru stammered, still hesitant. The young woman hadn’t actually ventured out of the haven since she had woken up there.

“If you do not wish to leave, I will stay behind with you,” Byakuya spoke up. He understood why she was apprehensive to go out with them.

“If I have to go, you’re going too Kuchiki,” Hitsugaya declared.

“Yeah, you need to loosen up more than anyone here,” Ichigo added before turning to face Hotaru. He extended his hand to her. “You too. You have my word nothing bad will happen.” Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. He expected Hotaru to refuse the orange haired man’s offer.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Hotaru said, accepting Ichigo’s hand.

Byakuya turned his attention back to Hotaru, trying to mask his surprise and confusion. “Are you certain? You do not need to feel pressured to join us,” he asked her.

Hotaru nodded. “I can’t be afraid forever. I trust you. I trust your friends.” Byakuya nodded a bit, puzzled by the young woman’s sudden change of heart. He was continuously surprised by the affect Ichigo had on those humans who gathered around him.

“Good. Let’s go have some fun,” Ichigo said before leading everyone off.

Byakuya fell into step next to Hotaru and matched his pace to hers. “I am glad you are joining us.”

Hotaru looked up at him and smiled. “Me too,” she said. Byakuya continued to watch her, keeping his expression as neutral as possible. Letting his emotions show was something he had trained himself not to do and old habits tended to die hard with nobility.

“Hurry up you two!” Orihime called from some distance ahead of Byakuya and Hotaru.

“They’re in their own little world, Inoue,” Ichigo said.

“Oh, you notice when other people act like that but not when you and Rukia do it?” Renji said to Ichigo, his implications about both couples clear. “You really are an idiot Ichigo!”

“Shut up Renji! It’s not like anyone’s flirting!” Ichigo snapped.

Hotaru turned bright red. “Flirting?!”

“Yeah, Nii-sama doesn’t flirt, idiot,” Rukia told Renji. “He courts.”

“No one is courting,” Byakuya said quickly.

“Or flirting!” Hotaru added just as quickly.

“We were simply having a conversation,” Byakuya finished, no trace of emotion on his face or in his voice. Inwardly, however, he was shocked and appalled by the implications of his sister and her friends. He was hesitant to even consider courting Hotaru, having been down a similar road with Hisana. On top of that, he still was confused about his feelings towards Hotaru. Initially he had felt compelled to help them simply because her sister shared the same name as his late wife, curious to see if the child could be the reincarnation of his Hisana. However, he could not deny that there was something intriguing about Hotaru. She seemed to be his Hisana’s opposite in many ways. In the end, he had put his internal struggle aside to avoid being completely distracted by it.

“Nii-sama? Is something wrong?” Rukia asked, drawing Byakuya back to the present. “Hotaru rushed ahead with the others. She looked embarrassed,” Rukia said, motioning to the group that was a few blocks ahead.

“Ah. We should catch up to them, then,” Byakuya told his sister.

“If you’re sure there’s nothing on your mind…” 

Byakuya gave his sister a rare, genuine smile. “You are quite perceptive, Rukia.”

“Th-thank you, Nii-sama!” Rukia glowed at the compliment.

“Maybe you can explain what it is about Kurosaki Ichigo that draws people to him,” Byakuya suggested.

Rukia looked up at her brother. “What draws us to Ichigo?” she repeated, looking thoughtful. Byakuya watched her in silence, curious as to what her answer would be. “Ichigo’s a beacon of hope. Whatever he promises, he delivers on. And he stands by the people he cares about,” Rukia finally answered.

“And this is why you love him?” Byakuya pressed on. Rukia blushed but nodded. Byakuya eyed his sister and said, “I do not approve of him.”

Rukia’s eyes widened. “Nii-sama!!!”

“I think I would not approve of any man who wished to court you,” he added. “You are my sister and though I have not always been an ideal brother to you, I wish only the best for you.”

“You are an amazing brother, Nii-sama! You’re brave and just and an amazing artist!” Rukia gushed, her praise genuine.

“Let us rejoin our companions,” Byakuya said before Rukia could attempt to examine his personal life the way he had just done to her.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quincy begin to make their way back to Karakura and Uryuu and Yuzu take their relationship to the next level. Meanwhile, Isane and Ikkaku begin their training.

**Japan 2008**

“Hey Uryuu,” do you think we should get married?” Yuzu asked as she laid next to Uryuu, his arms tightly around her.

“Is that what you want to do?” Uryuu asked her.

Yuzu nodded and felt Uryuu’s arms tighten around her. “Do you want to?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. She was almost afraid to hear his answer in case he said “no”.

“Of course I want to marry you. I was hoping to ask when you could have your family around. I knew you’d want to share the moment with them,” Uryuu replied.

“I’m sorry I ruined your plans!!” Yuzu exclaimed.

Uryuu chuckled and kissed the top of Yuzu’s head. “What brought this on?”

“Everything is going to become more dangerous now that we’re going back to Karakura. I just didn’t want anything bad to happen to either of us without knowing we have no regrets,” the young woman confessed.

Uryuu nodded. Yuzu’s words were the truth. There was only one thing he would regret more than not marrying Yuzu – not being there to raise their child. “I understand completely.” Yuzu smiled. She was happy. Despite everything happening around them, she had found complete happiness. She had everything she needed – love, acceptance, good family, and good friends. Everything had fallen into place after she had joined the Ishida men on their search for more Quincy. Her crush on Uryuu had blossomed into something beautiful and pure.

A loud knock at their bedroom door killed the romantic mood completely. “Get up. We need to leave.” Uryuu cursed but he and Yuzu sat up. There was only one reason his father would interrupt them in the middle of the night. Aizen’s own personal army of Quincies had to be near. The number of Sternritter that had joined Aizen dismayed Uryuu. He had hoped the Quincies would be smart enough to oppose Aizen, who would likely kill them when he had no more use for them.

“Ready to go?” Yuzu asked after she had finished throwing on real clothes.

Uryuu nodded. “Stay close,” he said.

“Of course. I’ll always have your back.”

“Let’s go then,” Uryuu said as he ushered Yuzu out of the room. The young couple soon joined Ryuuken and the handful of Quincies they travelled with. Some were like Yuzu and Uryuu, children who had been spared when their mixed blood parents had lost their powers to Yhwach. Two of them were pure blood Quincy like Ryuuken. And one was the only Sternritter they had encountered that didn’t want to side with Aizen and hadn’t been killed by Aizen’s Sternritter.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Bazz-B said impatiently

“No one said you have to stick around,” Uryuu muttered. He and Bazz-B disliked each other greatly. The fact that Bazz-B had stuck around genuinely confused and surprised Uryuu.

“You looking to start a fight?” Bazz-B demanded.

“Enough! We don’t have time for this!” Yuzu told them.

“Yuzu is right. We need to get moving. We’ll split up and head for Karakura,” Ryuuken explained. “Take the cars as far as you can.”

“Stay safe,” Yuzu said to Ryuuken.

Ryuuken nodded. “Bazz-B will go with you, Uryuu, and Eberhard.”

“What?!” Uryuu and Bazz-B exclaimed.

“He is strong. You need that extra strength to protect Yuzu,” Ryuuken told his son.

“I’d rather travel with you then,” Uryuu said.

“You sound like an insolent child,” Ryuuken pointed out to his son. Uryuu glowered at his father.

“Uryuu, it’s fine,” Yuzu said softly, taking hold of his hand. “We can’t afford to argue right now.”

Uryuu sighed in defeat. “Do the cars have full tanks?” Uryuu asked his father.

Ryuuken nodded and handed his son a set of keys. “Good luck,” the older Ishida said. He looked at his son, almost as if he wanted to say more. And perhaps he did but Ishida Ryuuken had long since lost the ability to articulate his emotions properly.

Uryuu took the keys from his father, meeting his gaze. “You too,” he said and gave a slight nod. Uryuu had become better at reading his father over the last few years. He had felt he understood his father better even if they weren’t any closer than they had been before. Yuzu gave Ryuuken a quick hug, surprising him, before leaving with Uryuu. Bazz-B and Eberhard followed behind the couple quietly.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**2 weeks later**

“If we keep travelling at this rate we’ll be in Karakura in a few weeks,” Uryuu said to Yuzu and their companions. It was early evening and they had stopped to eat and rest.

“Good. I’m tired of living like a fugitive,” grumbled Bazz-B.  
“I’ve just happy for the chance to sleep in a real bed,” Yuzu said happily.

“Thank you for opening up your family’s home to us,” Uryuu said to Eberhard.

“It’s nice to come back here. I just wish it was under better circumstances,” Eberhard, an older man with greying blonde hair and kind blue eyes. Uryuu nodded. They had been lucky since they had split up from his father and the others. Aizen’s Quincies hadn’t found them again. He hoped his father had been just as lucky. “How about we have some dinner now?” Yuzu suggested, hoping to distract everyone. They had stopped to add to their food supply the day before and Yuzu was confident she could cook something decent for them with what she had to work with.

“You’re my guest, Yuzu-san. You don’t have to cook for everyone!” protested Eberhard.

“It’s fine. I’ve been in charge of cooking and cleaning since my mom died,” Yuzu told Eberhard before she slipped into the kitchen with their food. She didn’t leave the kitchen again until their dinner was finished cooking.

“It smells really good,” Eberhard said as Yuzu ushered the three men into the dining room.

“Good,” Yuzu said before she slipped back into the kitchen to get their dinner.

Bazz-B looked at Uryuu. “How’d someone like you get such an awesome woman?” he asked as Yuzu returned with their dinner.

“He’s supported me and my decisions unconditionally for the last five years,” Yuzu replied for her boyfriend.

“You could do better,” Bazz-B told her.

Yuzu just smiled. “The heart wants what the heart wants, Bazz-B-san,” she said as she set the food down on the table.

“You said your mother died. Was it a Shinigami?” Eberhard asked. He was still too new to the group to know Yuzu’s history.

“Eberhard!” Uryuu hissed.

“It’s okay. He doesn’t know,” Yuzu reassured Uryuu.

“Know what?” Eberhard asked, confused.

“Her father’s a Shinigami, stupid,” Bazz-B informed Eberhard, a fact Bazz-B only knew from his time as a Sternritter.

“I’m so sorry Yuzu-san! That was careless of me!” Eberhard apologized, looking ashamed of his tactless comment.

“You didn’t know! It’s fine, really. Even I didn’t know the truth prior to this war,” Yuzu reassured the older Quincy. “A Hollow killed my mother. She died saving my brother’s life.”

“Her brother is the Shinigami we’re heading to Karakura for,” Uryuu added as he helped himself to some food.

“And his allies,” Yuzu said. Eberhard nodded a bit.

“That’ll be a fun fight. I hope I take at last one out with me,” Bazz-B said.

Yuzu frowned at him. “They’re our allies in this fight,” she reminded him.

“Do you really think they’ll see I that way? Not fucking likely,” Bazz-B replied.

“They forgave Uryuu!”

“Only because your father stepped in…” Uryuu mumbled.

“Then I’ll step in! Bazz-B-san won’t be harmed,” Yuzu said determinedly. She levelled a fierce look at Bazz-B that would make her siblings proud. “I’ll put in a good word for you. In return you won’t pick any fights with them.

All three of the men stared at Yuzu. It was rare to see her act so stern with anyone. “Whatever you say kid,” Bazz-B replied.

“I’m not a kid!” Yuzu stated, felling annoyed.

“You really should be more gracious to Yuzu-san,” Eberhard told Bazz-B

“Don’t chastise me, old man,” Bazz-B retorted.

“I’m not chastising, little boy. I just believe it’s inappropriate to treat a lady the way you do,” Eberhard countered.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?! I’m one of the Sternritter!” Bazz-B shouted, slamming his fists down on the table. He glared daggers at the older man.

Eberhard didn’t even flinch at the outburst. The half-German Quincy had been around long enough to know how to handle people like Bazz-B. “You are a Quincy on the run. The day your king died is the day you stopped being a Sternritter.”

Bazz-B narrowed his eyes at Eberhard. “You don’t know anything!”

“I know I lost my child when the Gemischt Quincy lost their powers,” Eberhard said. “So tell me, should I be grateful? Should I thank you, Sternritter, for serving the man who caused the deaths of so many? Yhwach was not better than the Shinigami.” Bazz-B just continued to glare at Eberhard but said nothing else. Instead, the red haired Quincy did nothing but eat.

“Your child wasn’t a full blooded Quincy?” Uryuu asked. Before that moment, Eberhard had never revealed much about himself aside from the fact that he was half-German and half-Japanese. He was several years older than Ryuuken and he had mentioned once in passing that he had known Ishida Souken, Uryuu’s grandfather.

Eberhard nodded, looking much older in that moment than he actually was. “I met a woman in Munich and fell in love. She wasn’t a Quincy, but we were happy. My parents approved as well,” Eberhard told the young Quincies at the table.

“That’s so sweet,” Yuzu said with a smile.

“Yes, she was a lovely woman. My Gitta was the sweetest, gentlest woman I have ever met. We married young, Gitta and I, and were expecting almost immediately. When the baby came along, I was excited to be able to pass on the Quincy legacy to her. Liselotte was of an age to begin training well before the Auswählen. And Lilo, she was excited to learn the way of her papa’s ancestors. The training made Gitta nervous, but she allowed it. 

"That awful day began as any other. Lilo did her studies before we trained together. We ate our meals with Gitta and Lilo helped her clean up afterward. That day, however, we decided to use some bait to draw out a few weak Hollow. It wasn’t often Lilo got to apply her training on actual enemies. I watched from a distance, confident in my daughter’s abilities. She had learned from me and I had learned from Quincies in Germany and Japan, including training with Souken Ishida. Lilo’s fight went smoothly at the beginning. She did me and my mentors proud. It was my pride in my daughter that delayed my aid. By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late to save Lilo. I managed to get her back to our home but she passed soon after with Gitta and I at her side,” Eberhard told the others, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Oh Eberhard-san! I am so, so sorry!” Yuzu sniffled sympathetically. She, too, had tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Yuzu-san, for shedding tears for my beloved daughter,” Eberhard said to her in reply.

“My mother died the same day,” Yuzu said.

“My mother fell into a coma because of the Auswählen,” Uryuu admitted.

“It was war and it was necessary! Everyone has to die sometime!” Bazz-B exclaimed quickly. “Everyone experiences loss!”

Eberhard nodded at Bazz-B. “Yes, everyone dies and everyone experiences loss. But causing death to increase one’s own power is not just. A Quincy fights for justice. We do not slaughter our own for personal gain.”

“It wasn’t for personal gain! He gave us powers too!”

“You were cannon fodder. If you died, he gained back that power. He was good at manipulation,” Uryuu spoke up. Bazz-B just growled and stormed out of the dining room. Yuzu sighed and Uryuu muttered “good riddance” under his breath.

“I think his story is probably just as tragic as our own,” Eberhard mused, mostly to himself.

“The world is full of sadness. I hate it,” Yuzu said.

“The sadness you to enjoy the happiness that much more, Yuzu-san. Never forget that.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Canada 2008**

Isane flopped down in the grass, breathing hard. She hadn’t trained so hard in such a long time and she was exhausted. “You’re doing better,” Yumichika told her as he sat down beside her.

“She still has a long way to go,” Ikkaku told Yumichika and Isane. The hairless man didn’t even look like he had broken a sweat compared to Isane.

“Be nice, Ikkaku. She’s still adjusting to our style,” Yumichika chided.

“He’ll get his during kidou training,” Isane replied.

“Whatever you say, Kotetsu,” Ikkaku said with a shrug.

“How is that going?” Yumichika asked Isane, ignoring the glare it earned him from Ikkaku.

“He’s making progress slowly,” Isane answered.

“Has he blown himself up yet?”

Isane laughed but shook her head. “Not yet!”

“Shut up, both of you!” Ikkaku growled, his face turning red from anger and embarrassment.

“Ikkaku, the top of your head is turning red,” Yumichika pointed out.

“SHUT UP!!!”

“All right, stop picking on Madarame! I really don’t want to deal with a brawl tonight,” came Nanao’s voice from behind the trio.

“Welcome back Nanao, Hisagi-san,” Isane greeted Nanao and Hisagi. The two of them had gone into town to get food and other supplies the Shinigami had run out of. The five of them had made a nice home in the secluded cottage they had found. Initially they had planned to stay as long as it took Yumichika and Hisagi to heal from their injuries but it soon became home.

“It looks like you three are having fun,” Hisagi commented. He never imagined there would be a time when anyone from the 4th and 11th Divisions would have fun together.

“We’re making bets on how soon Ikkaku will blow himself up in his kidou training,” Yumichika replied casually.

“Damn it, shut up Yumichika!” Ikkaku snapped.

“I hope you’re taking Isane’s lessons seriously, Madarame,” Nanao said, her glasses glinting dangerously. Ikkaku shivered involuntarily at the look. “Of course I am! I’m a man of my word! And Kotetsu has been keeping hers,” he grumbled, looking away from Nanao.

“Yes, things are fine Nanao, but thank you,” Isane added, a little scared of Nanao as well.

“Let’s just go get today’s lesson over with Kotetsu,” Ikkaku said quickly.

“Eh? Right now?” Isane asked, confused. She looked at Ikkaku for a moment before getting up off the ground. “O-okay, if you really want to,” she said, sounding a bit unsure. Ikkaku just stalked off without another word. He had been insistent that they work in private. It was embarrassing enough learning kidou; the last thing he wanted was an audience. “We’ll be back for dinner,” Isane said to Nanao.

“Show him no mercy,” Yumichika said from where he remained sitting. Isane smiled down at Yumichika before she followed after her angry pupil.

“She looked exhausted,” Hisagi pointed out.

“Ikkaku has a soft spot for her it would seem,” Yumichika told Hisagi and Nanao casually.

“How do you figure that?” Hisagi asked, confused.

“He’s pushing her harder than anyone else. He wants her to be the absolute best she can be,” answered Yumichika as he fiddled with his hair.

“I don’t know if that equates to him having a soft spot for Isane,” Nanao said, unconvinced by Yumichika’s logic.

Yumichika just shrugged. “It’s true whether you believe it or not. He respects her enough to treat her as an equal.”

“Who knew he had a sensitive side?” Hisagi mused. Nanao snorted at the thought.

“Don’t tell him that though. You’ll end up with a matching set of scars on your face,” Yumichika informed Hisagi.

“Oh trust me, I won’t be pointing it out to him any time soon,” Hisagi said. He wasn’t about to provoke Ikkaku.

“Please remember that the next time the two of you get drunk. I don’t want to play nurse to you again,” Nanao instructed sternly before she turned to go into the cottage.

“But you make an excellent nurse!” Hisagi called to her retreating form.

“And you are an insufferable patient!” Nanao called back.

“I’m not that bad!” insisted Hisagi. With another incredulous snort, Nanao disappeared into the cottage. “Aw, c’mon Nanao!” Hisagi said with a laugh before following his girlfriend into the cottage. Yumichika shook his head and chuckled as he was left alone. He was happy for his friends. And as much as he missed the action filled life of a Shinigami, he did hope they could enjoy the home they made together a little longer.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Later that Same Day 2008**

“Let’s call it a night, Ikkaku-san,” Isane called from where she was sitting and watching Ikkaku practice. She had given him some instruction initially but she knew he really needed to blow off steam.

“Fight me,” Ikkaku said instead.

“Fight you? Why?” the silvery haired woman asked, confused.

Ikkaku flashed her am almost feral grin. “For the hell of it. Bet you could use the release." Isane blushed, knowing there could be all kinds of double meaning behind Ikkaku’s words. “C’mon Kotetsu. Show me what you got,” Ikkaku continued, trying to goad her into action.

Isane glared at Ikkaku but got to her feet anyway. “You’re going to regret that,” she warned, her hand going to Itegumo’s hilt.

Ikkaku’s grin widened and he reached for his Houzukimaru. All the training drills he had been doing had left him itching for a good fight. There hadn’t been any real Hollow attacks lately and Ikkaku was growing restless. “Show me what the fourth division is made of!” he taunted. Isane drew Itegumo and charged at Ikkaku. It had always bothered her that the 11th Division made it a point to harass and put down her division. She was a skilled enough fighter as it was but training with the others had definitely helped her improve. She would do Unohana-taichou proud and one up Ikkaku. “Focus, Kotetsu!” Ikkaku ordered as he easily dodged and countered her attack. Isane countered his attack and glared at him. “Keep your focus and you might stand a chance,” Ikkaku taunted with a grin.

The two Shinigami continued to fight, each of them attacking, countering, and defending. Their movements were fluid, their Zanpakutou extensions of their bodies. They moved as though they were performing a complicated dance. Their dance was brief, however. Mid-attack, Ikkaku stopped moving. “Something’s coming,” he said to Isane.

“Should we try to get back to the others?” Isane asked.

Before Ikkaku could answer, the enemy appeared from the trees. Dressed in white uniforms resembling those of the Wandenreich, a dozen figures appeared around Isane and Ikkaku. Each figure held a Zanpakutou. “What the hell?! Are they Shinigami or Quincy?” Ikkaku asked, confused.

“Something’s not right with them. Look at their skin, it’s severely discoloured,” Isane pointed out.

“What the fuck happened to them?” asked the baffled Ikkaku.

“I don’t know. Aizen must have done something to them,” replied the equally baffled Isane. The circle of enemies began to close in on the two Shinigami, forcing them to stand back to back. Suddenly, Isane’s eyes widened. “Ogidou? Iemura?”

“Who?” asked Ikkaku without looking over his shoulder.

“They’re part of my division,” Isane replied, her voice trembling just a little. Without a word, Iemura lunged at Isane, his sword poised for the kill. “Iemura, stop!” Isane exclaimed, bringing her own sword up to block the attack. The blond member of the 4th Division just continued to attack Isane, his movements a little slow and stiff. He moved almost as though he were being controlled by strings. Isane had the advantage over Iemura, though she only attacked if necessary and never tried to seriously injure the man.

“Fight seriously Kotetsu! They’re our enemies!” Ikkaku called out as he showed the Wandenreich-Shinigami no mercy. He had released Houzukimaru at some point while Isane was distracted.

The tall woman faltered. “They’re fourth division! I can’t hurt them!” She blocked Iemura again. At the same moment Ogidou decided to attack Isane as well, catching her off guard. Isane cried out as Ogidou’s blade sliced her arm.

“Kotetsu!” Ikkaku tried to get over to her as Iemura and Ogidou moved to attack at the same time.

“Kare, Kazeshini!” One of Hisagi’s double bladed scythes flew at Ogidou while the other Targeted Iemura. Isane stumbled back, surprised by Hisagi’s arrival.

“Isane! Are you okay?”

Isane blinked as Nanao appeared next to her. “Nanao! Something’s wrong with them!” Isane told her friend.

“I know. We were ambushed at home,” Nanao informed Isane. “They’re puppets of a Quincy serving Aizen.”

“What?!”

Nanao nodded. “Ayasegawa is fighting her. He volunteered so Shuuhei and I could sneak off to find you two.”

At the mention of his name, Yumichika appeared, bloody from his own battle. At the same moment, the Wandenreich-Shinigami began to retreat. “What’s going on?” demanded Ikkaku, who looked just as bad as Yumichika.

“It looks like Aizen recruited the Quincy,” Nanao replied.

“Did you learn anything from the Quincy girl?” Hisagi asked Yumichika.

Yumichika grimaced. “’She’ is a ‘he’ and his blood turns Shinigami into zombies.”

“Did you kill her?” Nanao asked.

“’Him’ and no,” replied Yumichika.

“Then why did she… he… it retreat?

“I don’t know!” exclaimed Yumichika, frustrated and annoyed. “I almost killed him before he got away.”

“You’ll get your chance. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of our zombie friends,” Nanao reassured him.

“Those fucking things are a pain in the ass, that’s for sure,” Ikkaku said, referring to the zombie Shinigami he and Isane just thought.

“Those ‘things’ are fourth division Shinigami, my friends!” Isane snapped, suddenly filled with rage.

“Fourth division?” echoed Nanao.

Isane nodded. “If we go back, we could save them. I’m sure Urahara-san can fix this,” the tall woman continued on.

“The only way to help them is to kill them,” Ikkaku said harshly.

Isane turned to face him, glaring hard at him. “You don’t know that they can’t be cured!”

“And you don’t know that they can! Wake up, Kotetsu! This is war! People are going to die!” Ikkaku told Isane calmly.

“You’re okay with murdering our friends?!” Isane exclaimed, on the verge of hysterics by that point.

“To you it’s murder. I see it as compassion. I’d rather die than be controlled by Aizen and his followers,” Ikkaku said, still calm. It wouldn’t help anyone if he lost his temper. “Ise, she’s injured. Why don’t you take her inside?” Isane looked down and noticed her arm was covered in blood. She remembered Ogidou landing a hit on her but she hadn’t realized had bad it had been. “Oh,” she breathed, suddenly pale now that her adrenaline rush was coming to an end.

“Come on, Isane. Let’s go get you cleaned up,” Nanao said gently. She began leading Isane back to their home.

When Ikkaku was certain the two women were far enough away, he turned to look at Yumichika and Hisagi. “Those zombies were ruthless. All they do is fight unless you kill them,” he informed the two of them. He led them over to where he had last been fighting. “It was he or me,” Ikkaku said. He stopped walking when he reached a headless corpse. Yumichika’s eyes widened and Hisagi gasped in surprise.

“Do you know who it was?” Hisagi asked.

Ikkaku shook his head. “No one I knew,” he said.

“Such an ugly thing to do to a Shinigami,” Yumichika commented.

“Decapitation?” inquired Hisagi.

“Dressing them in that uniform,” replied Yumichika, wrinkling his nose at the body.

“That’s what you’re upset about?!” Hisagi demanded. “That’s a dead Shinigami! One of us!”

“No, that is an enemy. One of them,” Yumichika replied. “Ikkaku is right, this is war. If we falter in the face of any enemy, we will be the ones to die.”


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urahara and Orihime begin working together. Byakuya discovers he has to come to terms with his emotions. In France, the Visored set off to return to Karakura with Sado.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating a day early. Celebrating Thanksgiving with my little person tomorrow, so it's going to be a busy, busy day! Enjoy!

**Karakura 2008**

“I want to study your ability to reject events,” Urahara said frankly. He and Orihime were in his lab. The only other person in the room with them was Tessai, who was buy cleaning up his and Urahara’s lunch mess.

“You want to use it on Aizen and the Hogyoku,” Orihime said bluntly. 

“Very perceptive. What I’d like to do is see if we can imbue something other than your hair pins with your power,” he elaborated.

“Is that possible?” the young woman asked.

“With your help, I’d like to find out,” Urahara answered honestly. “You can say no, Orihime, but this is our best shot. You have unique abilities that no one else has.” Orihime nodded slowly, letting Urahara’s words sink in. She had resolved to do almost the same thing he was suggesting when she had been in Hueco Mundo. If she had acted then, would they be in the same situation? Or would she have lost her life if she had tried? Maybe things could have played out differently. Ulquiorra could still be alive if she had destroyed the Hogyoku. Thinking about the fallen fourth Espada brought a lot of emotions she had kept locked away up to the surface. “What do you say Orihime? Will you help me?” Urahara implored.

Orihime nodded. “This needs to end. I’ll help you anyway I can.

“Let’s get to work then,” Urahara said, wasting no more time on formalities.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hotaru paced in her room. She was filled with nervous energy. She had asked Byakuya to join her for lunch and though it wasn’t an out of the ordinary occurrence, it was the first time since the others had started to tease her about her crush. Just thinking about it made her blush. ‘ _Normal, just be normal,_ ’ she thought, trying to steel her resolve. ‘ _He’s just a man, just a friend._ Karakura, next day

“Renji, Urahara needs us to make a supply run,” Ichigo told his red headed friend.

Renji groaned. “Somehow I always get picked to go along on these errands.”

“He tells everyone it’s how you’re repaying him for being a moocher,” Ichigo told Renji. “You didn’t know that?”

“Damn it!” Renji exclaimed.

“You’re an idiot,” Ichigo sighed.

“Shut up,” Renji snapped.

“What are the two of you doing?” Ichigo and Renji turned, surprised by the sudden interruption by Byakuya.

“N-nothing, Taichou!”

“Just doing Urahara’s errands,” Ichigo answered.

Byakuya looked from Ichigo to Renji. “Just the two of you?” he asked.

Renji nodded. “Yes, Taichou.”

“I shall accompany you as well,” the dark haired Shinigami informed them.

Renji and Ichigo exchanged confused looks. In five years, Byakuya had only gone for supplies once. He had gone with Isshin to get medicine and toys the night Byakuya had brought Hotaru and her siblings to the haven. “Are you sure Taichou? Ichigo and I can handle this,” Renji insisted.

“I am sure. Now let us go,” Byakuya answered. He left ahead of the two stunned Shinigami, unaffected by their incredulous looks.

“This is going to be awkward,” Renji said.

“It’s weird,” Ichigo said by way of agreement.

“Let’s just get it over with,” Renji sighed before dragging Ichigo along after Byakuya. They kept behind him at a respectful distance, both wondering if Byakuya had lost his mind.

“Abarai. Kurosaki. Do you think I am incapable of… love?”

“Yes.”

“Of course not, Taichou!” Ichigo and Renji said at the same time.

Byakuya stopped walking and turned to look at them. “Pardon?”

“Ichigo, you idiot! Why’d you say yes?!” Renji hissed.

“Because it’s true!”

“Taichou loved his wife! And he loves Rukia!”

“Two people doesn’t mean much,” Ichigo stated.

“Ignore him, Taichou, he doesn’t–“

Byakuya raised a hand to silence Renji. “Thank you for your honesty, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo just shrugged. “Lying isn’t really my strong point.”

“Neither is tact,” Renji muttered.

Ichigo ignored the red head. “This is about Hotaru, isn’t it?”

Byakuya nodded. “She is confusing person. I do not understand why I am drawn to her,” he admitted, revealing one of his few weaknesses to Renji and Ichigo. Dealing with emotions was not one of his strong points.

“She gets the same goofy look on her face that Rukia gets when she’s with you,” Ichigo pointed out.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Ichigo. “I am confused.”

“She adores you like you’re the greatest thing since sliced bread,” Ichigo clarified.

“What he means is some women fall in love with a man who has saved them from a terrible fate,” Renji told his taichou.

Byakuya nodded. “That makes sense. It is the same case with Rukia and Kurosaki, is it not?”

Ichigo blanched. “Who said Rukia loves me?!”

“Rukia and Ichigo are… unique….” Renji said.

“I have discussed the issue with Rukia. You do not need to hide the truth from me, Kurosaki,” Byakuya informed Ichigo. “Even though you are not good enough to do so, I shall permit you to see Rukia romantically.” Renji’s jaw dropped as he stared at his taichou. He had never expected his taichou to give anyone permission to date Rukia.

Ichigo looked just as surprised. “Sure, whatever you say, Byakuya,” he said after a moment. The strawberry haired man continued walking as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened though there was a faint blush on his face.

“This trip keeps getting weirder,” mumbled Renji as followed behind Ichigo. “Next thing ya know, Taichou’s gonna ask permission to see his girl.”

“I suppose that would be proper,” Byakuya commented as he kept pace with Ichigo and Renji.

Ichigo, however, stopped in his tracks. “That’s a stupid idea.” He turned to look at Renji and Byakuya. “It’s not like she can follow you back to Soul Society. Are you willing to give up everything to stay here?”

“Calm down, Ichigo. I didn’t think you were even close to the girl,” Renji said, trying to be the voice of reason.

“I’m not. I just know the turmoil going from here to Soul Society then back here causes the people left behind,” Ichigo replied, thinking of his own sisters and friends. He even thought of his own parents briefly. “Do you even like her Byakuya?”

Byakuya stared at Ichigo intently. “Of course I like her. Why else would I spend time with her?”

“I think he means romantically, Taichou,” Renji clarified.

“I am unsure of the depth of my feelings for Hotaru,” Byakuya answered honestly.

“Should figure that out before making any life altering choices,” advised Ichigo.

Byakuya gave a slight nod. “You have grown wise in these few years, Kurosaki,” he told Ichigo.

“You’ve come a long way too, Byakuya,” Ichigo responded before he started walking again. “Let’s get going before it gets too late to get these things Urahara needs.”

“Of course,” agreed Byakuya as he followed suit.

Renji was left behind, staring openly at his friend and his taichou. “Definitely weird,” he said to himself before he followed the two men.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**France, same day**

“Are you sure you want to come with us back to Karakura?” Hachi asked Chad as they watched Suì-Feng and Yoruichi prepare to leave.

“Yes. I will only slow them down,” Chad replied. After helping Yoruichi and Suì-Feng track down Ikkaku and his group of Shinigami, Chad had decided it was time to return to Karakura and to his friends.

“It’s been a long time since you’ve been home, hasn’t it?” Hachi inquired. Chad nodded. He couldn’t deny that he missed his friends and his home. He had been surprised when Yoruichi had asked for his help tracking down the others in the first place.

“Sado! I’m trusting you to make sure Ichigo and the others are ready for everything we’re up against!”

Chad blinked and focused his attention on Yoruichi. “Understood, Yoruichi-san.”

“Stay safe.”

“You too.”


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Quincies finally return to Karakura.

**Karakura 2 weeks later**

“We’re finally home,” Yuzu said with a happy sigh. It had been a long time since she had seen Karakura and her family.

“It doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would,” Uryuu said as he looked around.

“Looks like the last place we stopped,” grumbled Bazz-B.

“It looks a little more beat up than the last place,” Eberhard commented.

“Karakura is just one of those places that draws in people of power,” Uryuu replied.

Eberhard nodded. “The world is full of such places. One day you should come to Germany. I can take you to Hausham or Oberursel.”

“It would be an honour,” Yuzu told the older Quincy.

“You three done making vacation plans? ‘Cause we got company!” Bazz-B said suddenly.

Yuzu, Eberhard, and Uryuu all looked up to find they were suddenly surrounded. “Wandenreich?” Uryuu asked.

Bazz-B shook his head. “Gigi’s zombies. Look at their skin. It ain’t normal,” he told Uryuu.

“Zombies? Like the undead?” Yuzu asked, doing her best zombie imitation.

Bazz-B shook his head. “They’re Gigi’s puppets.”

“Meaning the puppet master can’t be far behind,” Eberhard said.

“Probably somewhere in the shadows like a coward,” Bazz-B said.

“Big words from a traitor.” The group of Quincies all turned to see the owner of the new voice standing behind them. A dark haired person in a long white coat stepped towards them, making Bazz-B snarl. Uryuu stepped protectively in front of Yuzu.

“The traitor is you, siding with that Shinigami,” Bazz-B sneered. “At least I never betrayed our king, Giselle!”

Giselle laughed. “Yet you’re on your way to a den full of Shinigami who are only going to die anyway.”

“Not if we kill you first!” Uryuu exclaimed, aiming his newly formed bow at Giselle. Without hesitation, Uryuu fired a volley of arrows at the Sternritter.

Giselle laughed as the zombies blocked the attack. “Is that the best you can do, prince?” the Quincy taunted. “Kill them!” Giselle ordered the zombies.

As the zombies surged forward, Eberhard and Yuzu both formed their bows. “We’re ready,” Yuzu told her boyfriend.

“Be careful,” Uryuu cautioned Yuzu.

“I always am,” she replied

Bazz-B cracked his knuckles. “These things are no match for my burner finger.”

“I hope you are right,” Eberhard said before releasing his first arrow.

“Watch and see, gramps!” Bazz-B laughed before charging into battle. The four Quincy warriors held their own for as long as they could. They had initially believed they stood a chance. Slowly, more and more of Giselle’s zombies filled the battlefield. “Gigi, you bastard!!” Bazz-B growled as a zombified Shinigami slashed him across the chest.

“I don’t think I can keep up much longer,” Yuzu said to Uryuu. The lovers fought back to back, making sure to protect each other.

“Any ideas on what we should do?” Eberhard asked as he backed towards Uryuu and Yuzu.

“We can only keep fighting,” Uryuu replied as he launched arrow after arrow at the zombies.

“Your arrows ain’t doing shit,” Bazz-B told Uryuu.

“Neither is your pathetic burner finger,” Uryuu retorted through clenched teeth.

“Enough arguing! We need to stand together!” Yuzu snapped.

“We’re on the losing end regardless, kid,” Bazz-B said as he moved next to Yuzu. The zombies closed in, their weapons drawn.

“Getsuga tenshou!” A crescent shaped attack sliced through several of the zombies close to Yuzu and Bazz-B. The rest of Giselle’s forces began to retreat, their master nowhere to be found. Those not fast enough were cut down by several different attacks as the Quincy watched on. “What the hell were those things? Geeze Ishida, you sure know how to get into a big mess!”

Uryuu adjusted his glasses and shrugged as he turned to face his rescuers. “At least I’m not a show off like you Shinigami,” he replied.

“Uh huh,” was Kurosaki Ichigo’s disbelieving reply. The strawberry haired Shinigami approached the group of Quincy, his blade drawn. Right behind him were Renji, Rukia, and Hitsugaya, each holding their Zanpakutou as well.

“It’s about time you got back here,” Renji said to Uryuu.

“We had some delays,” Uryuu replied.

“And some new friends,” Rukia observed with a frown.

“Ah, it’s the rooster Quincy!” Renji exclaimed, pointing at Bazz-B.

“Long time no see Eyebrows,” Bazz-B said, raising a hand in greeting.

“What is that Sternritter doing here?!” demanded Hitsugaya.

“Former Sternritter. This young man is our valued ally,” Eberhard spoke up in Bazz-B’s defence. The older man placed a hand on Bazz-B’s shoulder protectively.

“Who’s the old man?” Ichigo asked as Yuzu pushed her way out from behind Bazz-B and Eberhard.

“Ichigo!!” she exclaimed excitedly. She threw herself at her brother, wrapping him in a tight hug.

Ichigo smiled softly down at Yuzu and hugged her back. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he said softly, intending his words for Yuzu’s ears only.

“Uryuu’s protected me,” Yuzu replied.

Ichigo held his sister at arm’s length after their hug, looking her over. He looked relieved to find she had no injuries from the battle until his gaze found her protruding stomach. “’Uryuu’?” Ichigo questioned, his voice suddenly tense.

“What’s wrong Ichigo?” Rukia asked, moving forward until she stood at Ichigo’s side. Her gaze followed Ichigo’s and her eyes widened. “Oh!”

“Before you overreact, Ichi-nii-san, maybe we should get out of the middle of the road?” Yuzu suggested. She hoped she would be able to distract Ichigo from lashing out at Uryuu.

“Yuzu-chan is right. It’s not safe and we should get one of these corpses back to Urahara’s,” Rukia added, her hand finding its way to Ichigo’s arm. Ichigo looked at the hand before looking at Rukia’s face, the woman meeting his gaze. “It’s okay,” the dark haired Shinigami added.

Ichigo nodded a bit. “Rukia and Yuzu are right. Let’s get back to the haven,” he said, glancing back at Renji and Hitsugaya.

As the others proceeded to return to their base of operations, Rukia held Ichigo back for a moment alone. “Are you okay?” she asked softly. Ichigo just nodded even though his face was white. “Are you sure?” the dark haired woman pressed. The last time Uryuu had done something Ichigo didn’t agree with had resulted in a broken nose for the Quincy. Rukia thought her companion was being too calm this time around.

“Hey Rukia?” Ichigo finally said.

“Yeah?”

“I finally understand your brother.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isshin sat in the common room of the haven, having tea with Urahara and his niece, Shiba Kuukaku. He also kept part of his attention on the four small children running around the room, oblivious to everything going on around them. “Watching them makes me feel nostalgic,” he commented to his companions.

“I’m surprised Ganju isn’t running around like a fool with them,” Kuukaku replied.

“They do like to torment him” mused Urahara as he sipped his tea.

“He enjoys the torture,” Kuukaku insisted.

“It’s nice seeing them so carefree. Makes a person remember what we’re fighting for,” Isshin said before turning his full attention over to Urahara. “How are thing progressing on your end?”

“I think everything could be ready in a few weeks. The progress and level of determination has been astounding,” Urahara answered

“That’s good to hear.”

“Uncle!” 

Urahara, Kuukaku, and Isshin looked up to find Ganju rushing over to them. “Ganju, what is it?” Isshin asked.

“Ichigo’s back with the Quincies,” Ganju replied before rushing off again, expecting the others to follow.

Both Urahara and Isshin rose while Kuukaku remained seated. “I’ll keep the little monsters from getting nosey,” she told the two men. 

Isshin nodded before he and Urahara followed after Ganju. They didn’t have far to go, however. Everyone was crowded into the entryway to the haven. Isshin pushed his way through to the front of the crowd, stopping next to Urahara’s two wards, Hanakari Jinta and Tsumugiya Ururu. A sappy look spread across his face when he saw his daughters embracing, a sight he had missed seeing. He caught Yuzu’s caught eye, which were filled love and tears. Isshin moved closer and did his best to wrap his arms around the twins. "Thank god you’re okay,” he said to his fair haired daughter; he tears in his eyes as well.

“We came as fast as we would,” Yuzu said as the three of them pulled apart.

“All that matters is – are you pregnant?!” Isshin exclaimed, taking in Yuzu completely. His jaw dropped slightly and his gaze travelled over to Uryuu. “I’m going to kill Ryuuken for letting this happen!”

“He’s not with us, Dad. We had to separate,” Yuzu informed her father.

“What…?” Isshin looked from Uryuu to Yuzu.

“We were supposed to meet here,” Uryuu added.

“No one else has arrived yet,” Karin told her twin and Uryuu.

“Knowing Ryuuken, he’s probably still alive somewhere,” Isshin stated confidently.

“I see you brought us some new friends,” Urahara said as he finally made his way up to the group. “And one of them a former foe!”

“I hate that Aizen guy as much as you Shinigami,” Bazz-B said insolently.

“The enemy of my enemy is a friend indeed,” Eberhard spoke up. Once again, he placed a hand on Bazz-B’s shoulder. “We will fight alongside you for the sake of a better future.”

“Welcome to the team,” Isshin said to Eberhard and Bazz-B.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a brief recap of their ambush and rescue, the Quincies were set up with rooms and left to recover after their travels. After getting a chance to clean up, Yuzu dragged Uryuu to her family’s living quarters. The couple arrived at the door at the same time as Rukia. “Congratulations, Ishida, Yuzu-chan,” she said with a smile.

“Thanks, Kuchiki,” Uryuu replied as they entered he place the Kurosaki’s called home.

“Thank god! Yuzu, you need to deal with Goat Chin. He’s been blubbering since we got back here,” Karin said when she saw her twin.

“I’m just happy that all my children have come back to me!” Isshin insisted as tears of joy streamed down his face. “I’m going to be a grandpa too!! Oh Masaki! Our baby is giving us such a wonderful gift!!” he added, lovingly addressing a life size picture of Masaki that suddenly appeared on the wall.

Uryuu raised an eyebrow at Karin. “Is this normal?”

“Very,” Karin replied. “Goat Chin is pretty sentimental.”

“Don’t let her scare you Ishida,” Ichigo said as he entered the room.

“I’m surprised you’re taking this so well Ichi-nii,” Karin commented, watching her brother.

“Punching Ishida won’t change anything,” Ichigo said with a shrug.

“No one is punching anyone,” Yuzu said, glaring at her siblings.

“I would have done it already if I was going to,” Ichigo added.

“What makes you think you could land a hit on me anyway Kurosaki?” challenged Uryuu.

“The fact that I’ve broken your nose once already, Ishida.”

“Okay, maybe we should separate them,” Karin muttered to her twin.

“I almost forgot what they’re like together,” sighed Rukia.

“Like father, like son,” Yuzu added.

“I am nothing like him!!” Ichigo and Uryuu denied at the same time, each man thinking of his own father.

“So, how about dinner?” Yuzu suggested quickly.

“Dinner is already made and waiting,” Isshin informed Yuzu. He motioned for everyone to follow him into the dining room.

“Dad can cook?” Yuzu asked her twin.

“I cooked,” Karin replied.

“You cook?” Yuzu asked her twin in surprise.

“Sure do. It was that or starve,” Karin answered with a grin. Yuzu giggled as she and Karin followed Isshin.

“It’s nice seeing those two together again,” Rukia said when the twins were out of earshot.

“Just like the old days,” Ichigo agreed as he moved next to Rukia. Without thinking he reached for Rukia’s hand.

“I’m glad she’s smiling again. She’s so serious on her own,” Rukia said, her hand finding Ichigo’s.

Uryuu watched his two friends with a raised eyebrow. “So, you two are finally together?”

Ichigo and Rukia both looked over at Uryuu. “Huh?”

“You’re holding hands,” Uryuu pointed out.

Ichigo released Rukia’s hand, his face going red. “So what?! It’s a lot better than the things you’ve done to Yuzu!” he exclaimed, embarrassed.

“If it helps, we’re probably going to get married,” Uryuu told Ichigo.

“You’re not good enough to marry her!!” Ichigo exclaimed.

“Careful Kurosaki, you’re starting to sound like a certain Kuchiki,” teased Uryuu.

“Hey! Nii-sama is amazing! Ichigo should be honoured to be like him!” Rukia spoke up in her brother’s defence.

“Byakuya gave me his blessing.”

“Re-really?!” Rukia said in surprise.

Ichigo blushed even more. “Yeah. He decided we needed to have this whole heart to heart chat.”

Rukia grinned. “Good. He’s warming up to you. Now let’s go eat!” she said and slipped off to the dining room.

“A heart to heart with Kuchiki Byakuya? That sounds so… weird,” Uryuu mused.

“You have no idea,” Ichigo said as he and Uryuu followed behind Rukia.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight with Hitsugaya ends up with Orihime bonding with Gin and Ran. Isane makes a rash decision.

Orihime had sat down at her table to yet another meal by herself. Though she had taken Gin and Ran into her home, they never seemed to be around for meals. She had no idea why since she cooked for them daily. She was just about to take her first bite when someone began to bang on her door. She hadn’t been expecting someone and as she got up to check the door, she prayed it wasn’t someone coming to complain about Gin and his antics.   
Orihime opened her door and blinked. “Hitsugaya-kun? Are you okay?” she asked, finding herself face to face with the white haired taichou. Since his growth spurt, Orihime was finally able to look him in the eye without looking down at him.

“Do I look all right?!” he snapped before letting out a frustrated groan. “I didn’t mean to snap at you again, Inoue! I’m just frustrated!”

“I was just about to have dinner, why don’t you join me?” Orihime offered, moving back from the door to allow Hitsugaya in. Hitsugaya hesitated for a brief moment before entering Orihime’s tiny living space. “Gin and Ran aren’t here, so you can talk about anything,” Orihime added as she closed the door.

Hitsugaya nodded as he looked around the small space. It was a small, open concept space with only two doorways, which Hitsugaya assumed led to a bathroom and a bedroom. Everything was neat and tidy despite the fact two small children shared her space. “Your home is nice,” he told her.

“Thank you. Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Orihime asked, trying not to seem overly concerned.

“I can’t believe Ishida would bring a Sternritter back with him!!” Hitsugaya exploded instead. He began to pace while Orihime watched helplessly. “They’re just as much the enemy as Aizen!” Orihime frowned at him and Hitsugaya continued, “Matsumoto and I fought him. He enjoyed slaughtering the member of my division.”

“If Ishida-kun trusts him, it should be okay for us to, too,” Orihime said softly.

“Your precious Ishida has been known to make some bad decisions!”

“Hitsugaya-kun!”

Hitsugaya stopped pacing and turned to face Orihime. “Well, it’s true,” the white haired Shinigami said petulantly.

“If you’re going to act like this, I think you should leave,” the busty woman said sternly.

Hitsugaya blinked at her, not sure how to respond. Orihime had never spoken so forcefully to him before. In fact, he didn’t think he had seen her speak to anyone that way before. Finally, he decided he didn’t care for it. “Fine, I’m leaving,” he huffed.

Orihime sighed. She knew he was upset and under stress, but she wasn’t about to coddle him. He wasn’t a child. ”Good night, Hitsugaya-kun,” she said as she went back to her dinner.

With a hurt glare, Hitsugaya stormed out, pushing the returning Gin and Ran out of his way. “Hey!!!” Gin said, annoyed.

“What’s wrong with Jii-san?” Ran asked.

“Beats me,” Gin shrugged. He took Ran by the hand and led her inside.

“We’re back, Onee-sama!” Ran called as they entered.

“Are you still eating?” Gin asked Orihime, looking worried.

“Yes. Did you two eat?” she asked them. The two kids nodded enthusiastically. “Okay,” was all Orihime said to that.

Gin and Ran looked at each other, frowning. Orihime seemed off to them. “Are you okay Onee-sama?” Ran asked.

“Did that white haired creep do something to ya?” Gin demanded. “’Cause that ain’t acceptable.”

Orihime smiled softly. “It’s okay, Gin.”

Gin shook his head. “Nope. You should never look sad. It doesn’t suit you,” he insisted. “Just like Ran-chan.”

“Do you need a hug?” Ran asked Orihime.

“I’m sure Jii-san is just having a bad day and will come say sorry tomorrow.”

“Hitsugaya-kun is upset but I said the wrong thing and made it worse,” Orihime explained.

“If you had said the wrong thing, he would still be here. Jii-san probably knows you were right but doesn’t want to admit it,” Ran said sagely, looking perfectly confidently in herself. “Onee-sama shouldn’t doubt herself or say silly things!” Ran added before going over to Orihime and giving her a hug.

Orihime was suddenly overcome by déjà vu. She felt her insecurities and worries fading away slightly, just the way they had when she had confided her feelings of jealousy to Rangiku as a teen. “Thank you,” Orihime whispered.

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**Next morning**

Orihime sat in Urahara’s lab, waiting for him to arrive. She had already spent some time in the training room to work her frustrations out. She had worked with her Shun Shun Rikka, practiced some of the martial arts moves Tatsuki had taught her, and even worked on her swordsmanship – something Urahara had suggested. She would be fighting alongside everyone else against Aizen and having a diverse skill set would benefit her, especially since Urahara’s brilliant idea would leave her without the use of her Shun Shun Rikka temporarily. Orihime had her doubts about Urahara’s plan to temporarily merge her Shun Shun Rikka with another weapon. Urahara had insisted it was necessary to do so to deceive Aizen. Urahara assumed it was something Aizen would never consider them trying. It was a huge risk and it left them without their best defensive tool.

As skeptical as Orihime was, there was still a part of her that liked the idea of being the one to destroy Aizen. He had used her and everyone around her as his pawns. He was trying to destroy her world. He was the reason so many people she cared for were dead or suffering. Ulquiorra. Gin and Rangiku. Hitsugaya. Orihime clenched her fists tightly at the painful memories. Though Ulquiorra had been her enemy and captor, Orihime had developed an odd fondness for the deceased fourth Espada. She had been genuinely sad when he was killed. It was a feeling she had had a lot of time to ponder, not that she could share her thoughts and feelings with her friends. Not only would they not understand, but they were all leading their own separate lives. Orihime had known the moment they had all gone their separate ways after Aizen had killed the Soul King that everyone’s priorities had changed. Ishida had returned to Karakura. Ichigo had gone straight for Rukia and Renji. Orihime and Chad had gone to offer help to those who had needed it in Seireitei, eventually splitting up. Though she felt she knew the others better than when they had first began their adventures together, she accepted that everyone had their own paths to follow. That was one of the many things they were fighting for – a future to follow those paths. She wasn’t sure where her path was taking her, but she wanted to follow it.

“You’re early this morning.” Urahara’s voice pulled Orihime back to reality.

She just smiled at him and nodded. “I wanted to get a head start on the day,” she said.

“Good. I have several ideas that I want to try out.”

“Then let’s get started,” Orihime said, handing her hair clips over to Urahara.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Canada**

Things had been tense between the five Shinigami in the weeks following their encounter with the zombie Shinigami. Isane had segregated herself from the others, feeling as though she were the only one who believed their manipulated comrades could be saved from their fate. She refused to believe the only salvation for them was death. She had spent several days debating with herself about going back to Karakura on her own. She would find some who shared her views and prove Ikkaku and Yumichika wrong. She knew she was being rash, but she had to do **something** other than sit around. She had decided to leave her gigai behind and open a gate to Soul Society in order to open another one into Karakura. It would be faster but riskier. Isane was confident enough in her abilities though. Once out of her gigai, Isane snuck out through her bedroom window. She kept her reiatsu masked to avoid drawing the attention of the others. The last thing Isane wanted was to be followed. She was thankful for shunpo as she made her way through the forest surrounding the cottage; it made covering distances easier. She stopped only when she felt she had put enough distance between herself and the others. She found herself in a small circular clearing. ‘ _This is as good a spot as any,_ ’ she thought as she prepared to open the gate.

Isane stopped after a moment, her body tense. She couldn’t make out any of the sounds she had come to associate with the forest. The entire clearing was silent and still, which put the fukutaichou on edge. All at once, the forest sprang to life around her. Low level Hollows and Arrancar surrounded her. She quickly drew and released her Zanpakutou, blocking an attack from one of the Arrancar. The Arrancar laughed and distanced itself from Isane. “You sure are a feisty one, but you can’t possibly fight all of us,” it taunted.

“Don’t underestimate me!” Isane warned before charging at the Arrancar. She was cut off as the low level Hollows swarmed her. A sound of frustration escaped her lips but she turned her attacks onto the Hollows, easily cutting them down.

“Let’s bring Aizen-sama her head,” a female Arrancar suggested.

The first Arrancar grinned at Isane, revealing sharp, jagged teeth as he did so. “Kill her,” he said, obviously the leader of the group. The Arrancar woman was the first to attack and the others weren’t far behind.

Isane could hear Ikkaku’s words in the back of her mind reminding her to keep her focus on the battle. She pushed all her doubts to the back of her mind and let her instincts and training take over. As quickly as Isane moved, the group of Arrancar was faster. When she blocked one, another would be there attacking from another direction. She was under attack from every direction and defending was all she could do. The Arrancar were ensuring she couldn’t attack or be given time to use any kidou. She was soon on her knees, bloodied from the many wounds she had received. Her vision began to blur as the female Arrancar approached her.

“So pathetic,” the Arrancar said. She drew her sword back, ready to decapitate her enemy.

As her vision grew darker, Isane thought he saw a pink blur fly at the Arrancar. A single whisper escaped her lips as she fell into the darkness of oblivion.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Visoreds return to Karakura. Hitsugaya reflects on the day Momo told him she was leaving with Shinji. Orihime goes to see Hitsugaya. Byakuya and Hotaru make amends.

**Karakura 1 week later**

The nights in Karakura were colder and even though she was no stranger to the cold, Rukia found herself adding a scarf to her uniform. Karin had purchased it for her as a birthday gift a few years ago. The gesture had told Rukia that she was much a part of the Kurosaki family as she was the Kuchiki clan. She wrapped the scarf a little tighter and continued her patrol through Karakura. Rukia wasn’t far from the outskirts of Karakura when she picked up several familiar reiatsu. Picking up speed, Rukia hurried to meet them. The swell of hope she felt brought a smile to her face. First the Quincies had returned and now the Visoreds were returning. Everything needed to defeat Aizen was beginning to fall into place. All they needed now was Yoruichi to return with the others. “Hirako-taichou! Rukia called when the blond haired taichou came into sight. Her hopes were almost extinguished in the moment. The Visoreds looked like they were in bad shape and they were fewer in number than when they originally left. “What happened?” Rukia asked as she approached them.

“Zombies,” Shinji replied grimly.

Rukia frowned. “Just like Uryuu,” she mused.

“What about Ishida?” Shinji asked. The blond looked much worse than his companions – his left eye was swollen shut and that entire side of his face was covered in blood, along with his right arm and most of his clothing.

“He and half his force of Quincies arrived last week. They were ambushed, too, by the Quincy who made the Zombies,” the petite fukutaichou explained, still frowning. She couldn’t believe it was a coincidence that both groups had been attacked by the same foe. Their enemies had to be monitoring Karakura.

“Aizen knows this is where we would gather. Karakura is where we always set up shop,” Shinji pointed out to Rukia. “It’s both an advantage and disadvantage.”

“It may be only a matter of time before the haven then,” Rukia said.

Shinji nodded. “If he doesn’t know already,” he added.

“We should get you back there. You all look like hell,” Rukia said, eyeing the other Visoreds, who all bore their own injuries. Shinji just nodded again and the group set off for the haven quickly.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura 2004**

“What do you mean you’re leaving?!” Hitsugaya demanded, angry and panicked.

“Hirako-taichou and the other Visoreds are leaving Karakura so we’re not all sitting ducks. I’m going with him, Shirou-chan,” Momo replied calmly.

“No! I can’t lose you too!” Hitsugaya told her, grabbing one of her hands desperately. He had already come close to losing Momo to Aizen twice before; he couldn’t stand the idea of it happening again. “I can’t protect you if you leave!”

“I’ll be fine Shirou-chan. It’s not like we’re going to face Aizen head on,” Momo said reassuringly.

Hitsugaya dropped Momo’s hand, glaring at her, and stormed out of their home. He couldn’t believe she was abandoning him. Momo was the only family Hitsugaya had left in the world. Since losing Matsumoto, he hadn’t left Momo’s side. He needed her. “Fine, just leave then!” he exclaimed angrily as he went out the door.

“Shirou-chan!!” Momo called after him. She sighed but didn’t follow after him.

Hitsugaya stormed through the corridors of Urahara’s haven, hoping to avoid everyone. He was angry and didn’t want to deal with anyone. Everyone else would just make his anger worse because they couldn’t understand. He was mad at himself more than he was at Momo. He felt weak, helpless, and he hated himself for it. All he wanted was to show everyone he was as capable of protecting the people in his life. If he could keep someone else from dying, he could redeem himself for letting Matsumoto die. Hitsugaya was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he didn’t notice that there was someone walking towards him until it was too late. Both of them toppled over, Hitsugaya landing face first into a pair of breasts.

“Are you all right Hitsugaya-taichou?”

Hitsugaya looked up, red, and locked eyes with Orihime “Inoue!”

“I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I’m sorry,” she apologized.

“I… I walked into you?” Hitsugaya said, confused.

“I guess we walked into each other,” Orihime laughed.

“I… I’m sorry,” Hitsugaya mumbled as he got up off Orihime. His face was still red and he looked away quickly.

“Everyone’s meeting for lunch, you should come with us!” Orihime said as she stood as well.

“’Everyone’?” Hitsugaya asked.

“Kurosaki-kun, Abarai-kun, Sado-kun, and Kuchiki-san,” Orihime answered as she took Hitsugaya by the hand, not really giving him a choice.

“I-Inoue, wait!” Hitsugaya started to protest as Orihime pulled him along.

“It’s okay, no one’s going to mind! Besides, you look like you need to be cheered up,” Orihime insisted. Hitsugaya stared at her as he was pulled along behind the bubbly young woman. He was surprised at how quickly his anger had dissipated because of Orihime. He was just as surprised when he realized he didn’t especially mind being led around like a child by her either. She seemed to have a calming effect on him that he wasn’t quite ready to put an end to.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Present**

Orihime knocked on Hitsugaya’s door. She had been giving him some space since their argument but she was also concerned about him. Ge was one of her friends and she didn’t want his friendship thrown away because of a difference in opinion. It wasn’t something that would sit well with Orihime. Hitsugaya opened the door, dressed in nothing but a pair of jeans. His hair was damp and hung in his face. His eyes went wide with surprise and he began to blush. “Orihime!”

Orihime’s expression mirrored Hitsugaya’s. “I’m so sorry! I interrupted you!!” Her words came ion an embarrassed rush as she continued to stare at him. She had seen half naked men before, mostly in battle, but seeing Hitsugaya fresh from the shower was different. She felt a little uncomfortable in a not entirely bad way.

Hitsugaya, on the other hand, was thoroughly embarrassed. He had not pictured he would ever be half naked when he apologized to Orihime. He had envisioned his apology going a lot smoother than it undoubtedly was. “I am so sorry, Orihime!” he blurted out, once again forgetting to call her ‘Inoue’ like he always did. The sight of her staring at his exposed chest had Hitsugaya completely flustered.

“No, I’m sorry for just showing up out of the blue like this!” Orihime told him hurriedly, waving her hands back and forth as she did. “I’ll go,” she added, starting to back away.

Hitsugaya reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. “Wait! Please don’t go!” he said pleadingly.

Orihime glanced down at his hand, noting how gentle he was being. “I won’t go, Hitsugaya-kun,” she replied warmly. She had come to make peace with him; leaving would be doing the exact opposite.

“Really?! I mean… um, come in, please,” he said, trying not to sound like an over eager child. Still holding her wrist, Hitsugaya led Orihime into his home. It had a similar layout to Orihime’s though it was twice as big. For a brief time he had shared it with Momo.

“I wanted to make sure we’re still friends,” Orihime said as she was led.

“Of course we are! I… I need you around, Inoue,” Hitsugaya replied, his usual composure returning. “I was stupid to act like that, especially since you and Ishida are so close.”

Orihime shook her head. “Ishida-kun and I used to be close. He and I drifted apart a long time ago,” she admitted. It was true that Uryuu had found a way into her heart and that she’d had a better relationship with him than she’d ever had with Ichigo or Chad. However, Uryuu had been out of her life for a long time and both of them had moved on with their lives.

“So you’re not interested in him?” Hitsugaya asked quickly.

Orihime blushed at the question. She had never been asked that about anyone but Ichigo before. “Not anymore,” she said. Hitsugaya nodded, looking thoughtful. He acted before he could change his mind and pulled Orihime to him, kissing her gently. “Hitsugaya-kun!” Orihime gasped in surprise, her eyes wide. Her cheek were redder than they had when he had asked her about Uryuu.

Hitsugaya, although blushing, looked happy with himself. “I’m not sorry I did that,” he said.

“You’re not angry anymore?” Orihime asked, not sure how to interpret his actions.

Hitsugaya shook his head. “I was angry with myself, not with you. You’ve done nothing but help me through everything.”

Orihime smiled. “That’s what friends do,” she said.

Hitsugaya tucked some of Orihime’s hair behind her ear. “What if I want to be more than your friend?” he asked quietly.

“What about Hinamori?” Orihime asked, her eyes searching Hitsugaya’s.

“Momo made her choice,” Hitsugaya answered easily. “I could ask you the same about Kurosaki.”

“Kurosaki-kun made his choice,” Orihime echoed Hitsugaya’s words.

“So why should either of us pine away someone whose heart is with someone else? I could make you happy, too. I’ve been trying to since Momo left,” Hitsugaya confessed. He couldn’t deny being crushed when Momo had decided to leave with the Visoreds. She had made him miss Matsumoto less and the thought of not having her nearby made him panic; she was all the family he had left in the worlds.

“I didn’t realize,” Orihime said softly.

“I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to lose you, too,” he told her reassuringly. “I thought I was going to lose you because I was being petty and hot headed.”

Orihime couldn’t help but giggle at that. While Hitsugaya could have a temper, hearing him refer to himself as ‘hot’ amused her. He was, after all, the most proficient ice-type Zanpakutou user amongst the Shinigami. “A hot headed ice-type user,” she said aloud, giggling again.

Hitsugaya cracked a smile as well. “Yes, I am. But I can do better!” he insisted.

Orihime shook her head. “I like when you’re yourself, Hitsugaya-kun. Please don’t change that,” she told him.

“But it made you upset!” Hitsugaya protested.

“But I’m not upset anymore and you’re being you,” Orihime pointed out.

Hitsugaya nodded. “I guess so,” he said. Orihime nodded back at him. The two of them stood in silence for a moment, neither sure how to proceed from there. Hitsugaya had no experience when it came to confessing his feelings to anyone. He’d never told Momo how he felt about her. Romance was a new territory for the Shinigami. Orihime was in the same boat. The only man she had ever loved had only ever acknowledged her as a friend he needed to protect. She had briefly thought that she and Uryuu were heading for something more but that hadn’t worked out for her either. And unlike Hitsugaya, Orihime wasn’t sure how she felt about the white haired Shinigami. What she felt for Hitsugaya was different from what she had felt for Ichigo and it confused her. Was she willing to sacrifice their friendship if things didn’t work out? The one thing that terrified Orihime was losing more important people in her life. “Orihime?” Hitsugaya said softly.

“I’m afraid,” Orihime whispered.

“Me too,” Hitsugaya admitted. “But you make me feel like I have somewhere to belong.”

Orihime reached out hesitantly and gently caressed Hitsugaya’s cheek. She understood that feeling all too well – finding people who made her losses and loneliness bearable. “It’s like coming home, isn’t it?” she mused, not sure if she made sense.

“Exactly,” Hitsugaya agreed before leaning forward and kissing Orihime again.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Byakuya stood outside Hotaru’s door. He was not sure what he was doing there, but he could not bring himself to turn away. He had thought long and hard on the things Hotaru and Ichigo had said to him. He had not come to a decision other than he did not want Hotaru, Kohaku, and Hisana out of his life while he was in exile. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal a pyjama-clad Hotaru. She blinked before turning red and wrapping her arms around herself, trying to cover her spaghetti strapped top. ”I wasn’t expecting company,” said Hotaru. She stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her, momentarily uncovering herself to do so.

“I apologize,” Byakuya said. He kept his gaze politely on her face.

“Look, I’m sorry. Can we just forget everything and go back to normal?” Hotaru asked him almost pleadingly.

“You wish to forget everything?” Byakuya asked.

“Everything from our discussion about your wife,” Hotaru replied with a nod. As she nodded, her hair fell into her face, making the woman scowl a bit.

“Your hair has a rainbow in it,” Byakuya stated.

“Yeah. I needed a change,” answered Hotaru

“It suits you,” complimented Byakuya. Hesitantly, he reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.

The human woman blushed brightly. “So, are we going to forget about all the awful stuff or what?” she asked, changing the subject quickly.

“I do not wish to forget anything,” Byakuya answered. His hand lingered for a moment, brushing her cheek lightly. “I do not wish to pretend that everything is perfect between us.”

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at Byakuya. “So you want this unnecessary tensions between us to stay?”

“I would rather take the good and the bad times because they are genuine,” he explained.

“I just don’t want you to think the wrong thing about me,” Hotaru informed him.

“So Kurosaki is wrong and you do not have romantic feelings for me?” asked Byakuya as he finally let his hand drop from Hotaru’s face.

Hotaru turned even redder. “Wh-why does that matter?” she stammered.

“I have given it a great deal of thought. I am not sure my affections for you are quite as strong as yours are for me,” Byakuya went on.

“Are you… are you asking me out?”

“I am asking to court you for as long as is possible,” Byakuya replied in terms he better understood.

“For all we know, you could be gone tomorrow,” Hotaru pointed out.

“I am aware,” Byakuya replied.

“So you know this is foolish?”

Byakuya nodded. “I believe it would be worth looking like a fool.”

Hotaru laughed; she couldn’t help herself. She was being offered something she had hoped for since she had gotten better acquainted with Byakuya. “You are an odd one,” she said through her giggles.

Byakuya just blinked at Hotaru. “I find myself confused by your reaction.”

“Just stop thinking and join us. Urahara-san managed to get us a working TV and video player,” Hotaru told him. “Gin and Ran are here too, so behave yourself,” Hotaru warned before opening the door.

“Can we start the movie now Nee-chan?” Kohaku asked as soon as the door opened.

“Yeah, we’re bored!” added Gin.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at Hotaru when he saw the four pyjama-clad children sitting around the television set. “Our conversation was short,” he said.

“Their attention spans are shorter,” replied Hotaru.

“He doesn’t have pyjamas on,” Ran pointed out.

“He’s a surprise guest,” Hotaru explained to the girl.

“Movie!!” Kohaku exclaimed.

“Don’t be bossy,” Hotaru told her brother as she went to put the movie in. Once it started, she sat on the couch and motioned for Byakuya to join her. “We’re watching Tonari no Totoro. It was a favourite of mine as a kid,” she explained in a whisper and Byakuya nodded as though he understood.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Isane's rash actions.

**Canada**

Nanao paced the kitchen worriedly. She wanted to be out looking for Isane, but everyone had agreed that someone should stay behind in case Isane returned. Nanao had drawn the short straw and was the one who had to stay behind. By the time they had realized Isane was gone, the trail had gone cold. Isane had left nothing but her gigai behind, which left Nanao with a bad feeling. The others didn’t believe Isane was going to come back. Nanao, however, couldn’t bring herself to think of Isane as anything but alive. She didn’t think she could take it if Isane wasn’t alive. She and Isane had become close and the idea of losing someone else she was close to made Nanao feel sick. The groaning of the cottage’s wooden door caught Nanao’s attention and thought it was unnecessary, Nanao found herself using shunpo to get to it. She found herself crashing into Hisagi in her haste.

“Woah,” Hisagi grunted as he caught Nanao. “It’s just me,” he said as he wrapped his arms her.

“So you didn’t find her?” Nanao asked, looking up at Hisagi.

“Not yet,” he answered. Nanao started to pull away but Hisagi tightened his hold on her. “Hey, it’s okay, we’ll find her,” he said reassuringly.

“What if something happened to her Shuuhei?!” Nanao asked, letting her emotions break through her usual calm exterior. “We should have listened and gone back….”

“Listen to me, Nanao,” Hisagi said, gently cupping her face. “This is not your fault. You had no way of knowing that Isane would act on her own.”

“But if I–“

Hisagi shook his head. “No, Nanao. Isane made her own choice.”

“It’s our fault she kept her choice from us,” insisted Nanao.

“Don’t go down that road, Nanao,” Hisagi warned gently.

“Hisagi’s right.”

Hisagi and Nanao looked over Hisagi’s shoulder to find Ikkaku and Yumichika standing behind them. They looked grim, making Hisagi frown. “Nothing?” he asked the two 11th Division Shinigami.

Ikkaku held up the 4th Division’s fukutaichou badge, which was smeared with blood. “We found this but nothing else.”

“And a lot of blood,” Yumichika added.

Nanao’s knees buckled and she sagged against Hisagi. She felt like she was back in Soul Society, staring at the dead bodies of Kyouraku and Ukitake all over again. She couldn’t be close to anyone without something bad happening to them. “You have to let me leave,” she said sounding slightly hysterical.

“What? No!” Hisagi replied, a little surprised by his girlfriend’s outburst.

Nanao shrugged away from Hisagi. “Everyone I get close to dies! I can’t be here!” she exclaimed hysterically.

“What the hell?” Ikkaku asked, just as surprised.

Hisagi just frowned but let go of Nanao. “No one is dying because of you,” he said, trying to calm her down. He was worried that Nanao would do something rash. At her calm and collected best, Nanao was a force to be reckoned with; there was no telling what she was capable of in her current state.

“Calm down Nanao,” Yumichika added, trying to soothe her as well.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Nanao yelled.

“Just let her go,” Ikkaku said calmly.

Yumichika and Hisagi turned to stare at him. “What?!” they said at the same time.

“If she wants to take the coward’s way out, let her,” the bald Shinigami said.

“She’ll be killed if she goes like this!” Hisagi growled, outraged. “You want her to die?!”

“Clearly she has a death wish. If she wants to be stupid and selfish, let her go Hisagi,” Ikkaku told Hisagi.

“What the hell is your problem?!” Hisagi demanded as he turned to face Ikkaku. “Are you trying to push everyone’s buttons until they run off?”

“We’re fighting a war! Breaking into hysterics helps no one!” Ikkaku shot back. He was none too pleased with the implications that came with Hisagi’s words.

“Neither does being an unemotional jack ass!” Hisagi growled, grabbing Ikkaku by his shihakushou and shaking him. “Not every Shinigami can put aside their feelings for the sake of battling! Isane is dead because of you!” A dark look passed over Ikkaku’s face but he said nothing.

“Shuuhei, stop.”

Hisagi looked over his shoulder at Nanao but kept his grip on Ikkaku. Nanao looked miserable but a little more composed than he had moments before. “What is it, Nanao?” he asked, his voice softening.

“Ikkaku’s right, I’m being selfish,” she told him. “I’m okay now.”

Hisagi sighed and released Ikkaku. “Sorry,” he said to Nanao instead of Ikkaku.

“We need to stop fighting each other and focus on fighting Aizen,” Yumichika spoke up.

“You’re right,” Nanao agreed tiredly.

“Of course I am,” preened Yumichika. “We should return to Karakura. Ikkaku and I discovered something while we were out looking for Isane,” he informed Hisagi and Nanao.

Hisagi looked back over at Ikkaku, who was watching Yumichika. “What did you find?”

Yumichika smiled. “There was evidence of our fukutaichou where we found Isane’s badge.”

“Kusajishi’s alive?!” Hisagi asked in disbelief.

Nanao’s eyes widened. “Isane could still be alive,” she said softly, mostly to herself.

“But where are they?” Hisagi inquired.

Yumichika shrugged. “She’s a sneaky little demon.”

“She could be anywhere. You don’t even want to know all the places she has access to,” Nanao assured Hisagi.

“Our best guess is that she’s gone to find Ichigo,” Yumichika continued.

“So we should have just listened to Isane all along,” Nanao said, her tone suddenly bitter.

“Let’s not start that fight again, okay?” Yumichika replied. “Let’s focus on ending this war once and for all.”

“We’ll take tonight to rest and set out tomorrow. Is that all right, Nanao?” Hisagi asked his tired looking girlfriend. Nanao just nodded and let Hisagi lead her out of the living room.

Once they were gone, Yumichika turned to Ikkaku. “You’ve been awful quiet through all of this,” the dark haired man mused.

“What of it?” Ikkaku snapped.

Yumichika shrugged and took a seat on the couch. “I am impressed that you didn’t punch Hisagi,” he said over his shoulder.

“Keh. He’s not worth it,” grumbled Ikkaku. He moved to join Yumichika on the couch. “I think Ise would have attacked me if I had. She looked pretty unhinged there.”

“It was an ugly sight,” agreed Yumichika. “But grief is never beautiful.”

Ikkaku just shrugged. “It was crazy and I don’t think she should join the fight against Aizen. Kotetsu either.”

Yumichika raised an eyebrow. “You’re in favour of people not fighting?!”

“They’re weak and will just get killed,” Ikkaku stated.

“You’ve grown soft for them!" Accused Yumichika.

“I know. Don’t rub it in,” grumbled Ikkaku.

“You’ve grown up,” Yumichika told his friend. He had known Ikkaku for a long time; he knew it was hard for Ikkaku to care so deeply about people. The simple fact that Ikkaku was worried about Nanao and Isane fighting spoke volumes to Yumichika. It showed that Ikkaku was valuing more than just fighting. He had, after all, learnt kidou willingly. “You’re certainly evolving as a person,” added Yumichika.

Ikkaku punched Yumichika on the arm, making the black haired man wince. “Shut up and don’t make a big deal out of it,” Ikkaku ordered.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Hueco Mundo**

Isane’s head was pounding and all around her seemed to be loud, excited voices. All she wanted was for everything to be quiet. Though closed, she could feel her eye twitch in annoyance. Why wouldn’t everyone just stay quiet and let her sleep? “Are you sure that’s helping Kotetchin? She’s still not waking up,” a familiar voice said, causing Isane’s brow to furrow.

“Just shut up and let the pipsqueak do her work!” came a slightly growly reply. Isane didn’t recognize the voice though. It confused Isane, making her brow furrow more. To make it worse, Isane was beginning to feel slightly damp.

“Are you sure her drool works Neko-chan?”

“Don’t call me that!!” the second voice hissed.

Isane groaned, hear head throbbing more. The voices stopped abruptly and Isane felt something prod her cheek repeatedly. Isane groaned again and her eyes fluttered open almost as though they were working on their own. “Where…?” she asked, her raspy voice sounding foreign to her ears.

“You’re awake!! Yay, Pipsqueak made Kotetchin better!!”

“Kusajishi-fukutaichou?” Isane rasped questioningly.

The bubble gum haired girl, Kusajishi Yachiru, bounced into Isane’s line of sight. “You got really beat up! I thought you were dead like Ken-chan!” the tiny fukutaichou said to Isane. “But Pipsqueak’s drool really did the trick!” Yachiru added as she helped Isane sit up.

As she sat up, Isane saw two other people watching her – a green haired, green clad child with a skull-like helmet about Yachiru’s size and a tall, blue haired man dressed in white with a hole through his stomach. “Why are we in Hueco Mundo?” Isane asked Yachiru.

“’Cause this is where Mayurin told us to go.”

“’Us’?” inquired Isane.

“Nechan is here too! She knows how to use the stuff Mayurin left here!"

“Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou is here?! Who else?” Isane asked, her voice starting to return to normal.

“Pipsqueak and Neko-chan,” Yachiru replied, motioning to the two observers.

“They’re Arrancar,” Isane sad, stating the obvious.

“What of it?” the blue haired one demanded.

Isane jumped slightly. “N-nothing,” she murmured in surprise.

“Be nice to Kotetchin, Neko-chan!” scolded Yachiru.

“Damn it all to hell! Stop fucking calling me that you little monster!!” snarled the blue haired Arrancar.

“He’s Grimmjow and Nel is Nel,” the smaller Arrancar told Isane.

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you Nel,” Isane said to the small Arrancar.

“We’re friends with Itsygo!” Nel exclaimed cheerfully.

“Why the hell hasn’t he launched an attack on Aizen already?” demanded Grimmjow, turning his attention back to Isane.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been in contact with Kurosaki-san for a few years,” she answered.

“Someone needs to go kick his ass into action,” Grimmjow stated as he cracked his knuckles. He was itching for a good fight.

“The plan is to wait for Icchi to attack Soul Society. That’s what Hollow-Boobies decided on,” Yachiru interjected.

“’Hollow-Boobies’?” Isane asked, blushing faintly.

Grimmjow laughed, amused by the nickname and Isane’s obvious embarrassment over having to use it. “Harribel, the ‘Queen’ of Hueco Mundo. Let’s just say she hates Aizen as much as you Shinigami,” the man informed Isane when his laughter subsided.

“We should get back to Hollow-Boobies and Nechan,” Yachiru decided suddenly.

“Why?” Isane and Grimmjow asked at the same time.

“’Cause it’s snack time and Nechan always has yummy snacks,” Yachiru replied as though the answer was obvious.

“Snack time!” agreed Nel as she and Yachiru began to head off.

“Kusajishi-fukutaichou is still the same,” Isane commented, mostly to herself.

“She’s a blood thirsty little monster,” Grimmjow said to Isane.

The silver haired Shinigami looked at the blue hair Arrancar. “Kusajishi-fukutaichou?”

Grimmjow nodded. “She tore Aizen’s Arrancar apart while laughing. Too bad more of you Shinigami aren’t like her,” he said, grinning maniacally. He shoved his hands in his pockets before strolling leisurely behind the tiny Shinigami and the tiny Arrancar.

“Yeah, too bad,” Isane mumbled as she followed Grimmjow.


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Visoreds return, bringing with them bad news and death. Nemu, Yachiru, and Harribel discuss battle plans. Rukia has to remind Ichigo who he is.

**Karakura Present day**  
The sounds of knocking roused Hotaru from slumber. She rubbed her eyes and rose from the couch. Their video was on the menu screen and Kohaku, Gin, and Ran were asleep on the floor in front of the television. She glanced at the couch and smiled when she saw Hisana curled up on Byakuya’s lap. Byakuya had also fallen asleep along with them. It appeared that he was a deeper sleeper than Hotaru was. She just shook her head and made her way to the door to silence the persistent knocking. She opened the door and looked up. “Abarai-san?”

“Is Kuchiki-taichou here? It’s urgent,” the red haired Shinigami asked, eyeing Hotaru’s pyjamas.

“So urgent you couldn’t get dressed?” the woman quipped as she eyed Renji’s pyjamas as well. “Might want to close your top a bit more and fix your hair,” she suggested.

Renji blushed faintly. “You’re one to talk,” he pointed out.

“Quiet,” Hotaru grumbled before running a hand through her rainbow streaked hair.

“Is he here?” Renji asked again. He sounded impatient.

Hotaru stepped aside and motioned to the couch. “He’s resting with the kids,” she informed Renji, who just stared at Hotaru’s couch.

“He looks so… domestic,” commented Renji.

“He looks sweet,” Hotaru said.

Byakuya’s eyes popped open, making Renji and Hotaru jump slightly. “What is it?” he asked Renji as he easily shifted Hisana from his lap to the couch.

“Rukia’s back from her patrol,” Renji started, all business. “She returned with Hirako-taichou and the Visoreds.”

Byakuya nodded as he rose from the couch. “You may leave. We shall be there momentarily,” he said, dismissing Renji.

“Yes, Taichou,” Renji said as he turned and left.

“’We’?” Hotaru asked. It wasn’t often she attended urgent group meetings.

“Everyone is returning. Everything that happens now will affect you as well,” Byakuya explained. “You should be as informed as everyone else.”

“I suppose so,” agreed the woman a touch reluctantly. “I need to leave a note in case they wake up, though,” Hotaru added, motioning to Kohaku, Gin, and Ran. Even though they were safe in the haven, Hotaru still felt it was necessary to let her siblings know about her comings and goings if she could. It was something she had done with their mother, too. It was something of a cherished tradition that she wanted to keep alive for Kohaku and Hisana.

Byakuya nodded as he straightened his shihakushou and haori out. “Do what you must. I will wait for you.”

“I’m ready,” Hotaru answered as she quickly scribbled her note for the kids.

Byakuya looked her over. “You do not wish to change?”

Hotaru looked at her pyjamas and shrugged. ”The important parts are covered. And there’s no time,” she pointed out. Byakuya nodded and escorted her out.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Did you find my brother?” Rukia asked when Renji returned to the common area.

“Yeah. They’re coming,” the red head replied. 

“’They’?” Rukia asked.

Renji nodded. “He was with Hotaru. Sleeping on her couch with the quiet rug rat on his lap,” he told his long-time friend.

Rukia gave Renji a look of disbelief. She could not believe her brother would sleep on a couch in someone else’s room. “I don’t believe it.”

“You look more like you just came off someone’s couch,” Ichigo told Renji.

The red head blushed and straightened out his bed clothes. “So what? Everyone else is getting some. Why can’t I?” he grumbled, embarrassed.

Ichigo and Rukia stared at their friend, their mouths open in surprise. “You’re seeing someone?” Ichigo asked when the shock wore off.

“For a while,” Renji replied.

“Who?!” demanded Rukia.

“That’s my business, not yours,” Renji replied smugly.

“What’s your business?” The trio turned as Byakuya and Hotaru joined them. Hotaru was looking at Renji curiously while Byakuya just look amused.

“Renji’s got a girlfriend!” Rukia exclaimed.

“Explains the messy jammies,” Hotaru said sagely, nodding her head.

“Do you know who Nii-sama?” Rukia demanded of her brother.

“Abarai’s relationship is no business but his and his lady friend,” the older Kuchiki answered. He glanced at Renji while he spoke and received a grateful look from his fukutaichou.

“You do know!” Rukia accused.

“It’s probably just Inoue,” Ichigo told Rukia reassuringly.

“Um, probably not,” Hotaru told Ichigo. She motioned for him to look across the room. Ichigo and Rukia both looked over to see Hitsugaya and Orihime walk into the meeting red faced and hand-in-hand.

“What the hell?!” Ichigo asked, literally scratching his head at the sight before him. “When did Inoue start seeing Toushirou?” Rukia and Renji both just shrugged.

“Must be recent because Gin and Ran didn’t tell me,” Hotaru answered. “But they look happy.”

Rukia and Ichigo both nodded at that. “I haven’t seen Hitsugaya-taichou that happy in a long time,” Rukia said sadly. She knew his new found happiness was about to be destroyed by Shinji’s news.

“Looks like everyone is accounted for now,” Urahara spoke up from his spot in the centre of the room. He and Isshin were standing with the newly returned Visoreds, looking just as grim as the Visoreds.

“Who are those people with Urahara-san?” Hotaru asked Byakuya in a whisper.

“Allies who left before your arrival,” Byakuya replied just as quietly.

“Welcome back, Hirako-taichou! Where are Hinamori-san and Sarugaki-san?” Orihime asked the Visored. She gave Hitsugaya’s hand a squeeze.

“They didn’t make it,” Shinji said for all to hear. “We were ambushed, both times,” he added.

“Both times?” Uryuu asked.

Shinji looked at the dark haired Quincy. “Just now by the zombies when we hit the city.”

“That bastard Giselle!” growled Bazz-B.

“So they’re watching Karakura,” Yuzu said, echoing the thoughts Rukia had had earlier.

“I think they’re definitely surrounding the city,” Rukia spoke up in agreement.

“They’re doing a great job of picking us off as we come in. We lost two comin’ here,” Shinji said bitterly. He turned to face Hitsugaya, who was looking tense and pale. “Hinamori was a good girl. Chattered about ya constantly. Couldn’t have asked for a finer fukutaichou.”

“Did you kill the zombie that did it?” Hitsugaya asked through clenched teeth.

Shinji blinked at the white haired taichou incomprehensibly for a moment. Then he shook his head. “No, I killed the Arrancar that killed her.”

“But you were attacked by zombies,” Orihime pointed out.

“Hinamori died a long time ago. She stopped an attack meant for me,” Shinji explained gently.

“You let Momo fight an Arrancar?!” Hitsugaya hissed venomously. “You should have protected her Hirako!!” Hitsugaya clenched his fists. He looked both broken and murderous.

“Hinamori was strong enough to battle an Arrancar. The kid trained with Visoreds and we ain’t weaklings,” Shinji said. “She stopped being a fragile thing under me.”

“She was all I had left! And you let her die!” Hitsugaya yelled as he grabbed Shinji by his haori.

“She wouldn’t let me help her! She wanted to prove she could be strong too! And I was completely unprepared. I let us get comfortable and I got lazy! I’m not proud of that! I shoulda jumped in sooner,” Shinji said, letting Hitsugaya have his way. After the night Shinji had just had, he was bone achingly tired. He hadn’t felt so useless and helpless in decades. “I let Hinamori down and she died. I let Hiyori down, too, and now she’s dead,” he told Hitsugaya.

“Shinji, it’s not your fault,” Ichigo said.

Shinji shook his blond head at Ichigo. “Sado came back with us, too,” he said bleakly.

“Chad?! Where is he?” Ichigo asked.

“Does this mean Yoruichi-san is back too?” Orihime asked from her spot beside Hitsugaya.

“No. Yoruichi and Suì-Feng went to Canada,” Love answered the question.

“Sado-san fell in battle alongside Hiyori,” Hachi added gently.

“Sado-kun… is dead?” Orihime asked, her voice trembling.

“Chad can’t be dead,” Ichigo said in disbelief.

Hachi approached Ichigo and held a hand out to him. “He wanted you to have this necklace,” the pink haired giant of a Visored said.

Ichigo took the necklace from Hachi without another word. He didn’t know what else he could do. Getting angry at Hachi wouldn’t change anything. “I have to tell the other guys,” was all he said instead. Without another word, he turned and left the room in search of his friends. Rukia wasn’t far behind him.

“This has to sop. We can’t lose anyone else,” Orihime said, her voice filled with anger. She couldn’t believe Chad was dead. He had been her first training partner. Chad had been a constant in her life since then.

“We won’t lose anyone else,” Hitsugaya told her. He had let go of Shinji, his anger subsiding slowly. “We are going to go kill Aizen before that happens,” he added as he took Orihime’s hands within his own.

“That’s right. Yoruichi said your master plan is almost ready,” the newly freed Shinji said to Urahara, who had been quiet during the entire conversation.

“Yes. Now that you and the others are here, I can put the finishing touches on it,” Urahara answered, his gaze drifting over to Hachi. Urahara could have made due with Tessai’s kidou skills but Tessai lacked the understanding of the Shun Shun Rikka that Hachi had from fixing Tsubaki for Orihime. “That can wait for morning, though.”

Shinji nodded grimly. They needed time to recover and mourn. The Visoreds had lost more than just an ally with Hiyori. They had lost a part of their already small family. ”Thanks,” Shinji said to Urahara.

“She went down swinging, right?” Urahara asked.

“She took out quite a few of Aizen’s pets with her, too,” answered Shinji. Urahara nodded a bit before walking off. Shinji watched Urahara go in silence. Hiyori and Urahara had had a unique relationship. It wasn’t too different from his own relationship with the freckle faced Visored. Shinji would have to go check on Urahara later, after he made sure the other Visoreds were settled and coping all right.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Hueco Mundo, same day**

Isane sat on a half destroyed couch, watching the motley crew of Shinigami and Arrancar working together. She never thought she’d live to see the Arrancar and Shinigami not trying to destroy one another. She’d had to pinch herself several times to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. As surreal as the sight was, though, it did give Isane a sense of hope. They needed every ally they could get Against Aizen. “It certainly is something, isn’t it?”

Isane looked up at the man who was echoing her thoughts. “Kano-san!” she said in surprise. Yachiru hadn’t been entirely forthcoming about the Shinigami in Hueco Mundo. It wasn’t until they had arrived at the ruins of Las Noches that Isane had learnt about their allies in Hueco Mundo.

“Sorry for startling you,” Kano Ashido apologized as he sat down next to Isane. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fight alongside the forces of Hueco Mundo while I was in the Forest of the Menos.”

“I don’t think any Shinigami ever thought this would happen. I don’t think any of them ever expected to have an ally like Kurosaki Ichigo or that Soul Society would be destroyed by Quincies, either,” Isane answered.

Ashido nodded in agreement. “But we will learn from this and Soul Society will be better for it.”

“Only if we manage to defeat Aizen.”

Ashido looked at Isane. “You have doubts about it?”

Isane sighed softly but gave a nod. “We weren’t able to before and there are fewer people who oppose him now."

“We may be few but we remain dedicated just the same. Only when we lose hope are we doomed to fail,” Ashido said sagely.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’ve watched everyone here dedicate themselves to the war effort. I have witnessed the strength and dedication of our allies first hand. That is how I know there is hope for us,” explained Ashido. He ran a hand through his hair. “I have not felt hopeful in centuries. In fact, I felt nothing but sorrow and hopelessness after my friends were killed. I imagine I wore an expression similar to yours.”

Isane eyed Ashido carefully. She was still a bit wary of him even though he seemed sincere. Part of her expected the strange Shinigami to be as emotionless and brutal as Ikkaku. “Two of my Division members were made into zombies. They’re not warriors, they’re healers.”

“I am sorry for that. Kurotsuchi-san is doing her best to find a solution to that problem,” Ashido informed Isane, who just nodded.

“My friends and I didn’t see eye to eye on how to handle that issue, so I left them,” continued the tall woman. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought about them; they likely thought that she was dead. Nanao would likely be devastated by the thought that Isane was dead. She wondered if the others would be as upset. ‘It would serve Ikkaku right,’ she thought. Ikkaku’s suffering would at least prove he cared about Isane. The idea that Ikkaku cared about her even a little bit made Isane’s heart skip a beat.

“Kotetsu-san, your face is all red. Are you all right?” Ashido asked, concerned about Isane.

Isane just looked away from Ashido hurriedly. “I’m fine! I was remembering something embarrassing that happened!” she covered quickly. She didn’t want to discuss her complicated feelings and relationship with Ikkaku with anyone. She didn’t even want to think about Ikkaku and relationships at the same time. It was a scary concept to Isane. She was no stranger to relationships; she and Izuru had been involved off and on before he had died in the first Quincy attack on the Seireitei. Ikkaku was a different story entirely. He was vastly different from Izuru. Ikkaku was compassionless and concerned more with fighting than anything else. ‘Though he always was surprisingly gentle with me,’ she thought. She then gave her head a shake to rid herself of the feelings thinking of Ikkaku stirred up in her.

Isane turned back to Ashido quickly. “Want to train with me? I haven’t done any since I came here,” she asked, hoping to distract herself.

Ashido blinked, a little surprised by Isane’s request. “I… all right. I think some sparring would be beneficial,” he agreed.

Isane stood up and nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Kano-san,” she said as Ashido led her to the training area that had been set up.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kurotsuchi Nemu paced in her make-shift lab. She had been working non-stop through the night, attempting to make a cure for the Shinigami who had fallen victim to Aizen’s pet Quincy. Though her father had found way to wrest control of the zombies away from the Quincy, he hadn’t been able to cure it before he was killed. Nemu wasn’t having any more luck than her father. And while her methods were considerably more humane than her father’s had been, Nemu’s test subjects always ended up dying off. She was becoming disheartened by the results and was considering giving up as a result. She didn’t think anyone would treat her like a failure – no one did now that Kurotsuchi Mayuri was out of the picture – but she knew there would be some disappointment. Especially from Kuna Mashiro. They were holding her taichou and the 3rd Division’s taichou in hopes that they could be cured. Mayuri had been able to take control of them, but it had eventually worn off. The two taichou had reverted back to their zombified state. Thankfully their Quincy master was unable to control them while she was in Soul Society and the material world since they were in Hueco Mundo, leaving them in an almost vegetative state. Nemu had begun to wonder, not for the first time, if the key to the problem was to kill the master. But neither the Shinigami nor their Arrancar allies had ever been able to get close enough to the Quincy to land a fatal blow.

“Whatcha doin’ Nechan?”

Nemu turned as the bubble gum haired fukutaichou bounced up onto one of the lab tables. “Still trying to figure out this zombie problem,” the black haired fukutaichou replied with a sigh.

“Me and Hollow-Boobies were talking about that. She thinks you should give it up,” Yachiru said casually.

Nemu furrowed her brow at Yachiru’s words. “Give up?”

Yachiru nodded and began to swing her legs back and forth. “Wouldn’t it be kinder to kill them than to let them suffer? That’s why I had you help me destroy as many bodies as we could,” the tiny Shinigami explained, sounding more grown up than she looked. “I wouldn’t want to live as one of Aizen’s puppets. Would you?”

Nemu slowly shook her head. She had been treated like a puppet for too long and she would rather die than live like that again. “No,” she said softly.

“The small Shinigami is correct. Death is mercy.”

Yachiru perked up. “Hollow-Boobies! You did come!”

Nemu turned to face the reigning monarch of Hueco Mundo. “Harribel-san,” she said by way of greeting.

Harribel nodded her head at Nemu, acknowledging the greeting. “We should be focusing our efforts on defeating Aizen.”

“There is a problem with killing Aizen that we have all overlooked,” Nemu said looking from Harribel to Yachiru.

“You overlooked something Nechan?” Yachiru asked.

“Not just me. Everyone. Aizen killed Yhwach and the Soul King and became Soul King himself. Killing Aizen, the Soul King, will destroy all the worlds,” explained the black haired fukutaichou.

Harribel frowned angrily. “So we can’t kill him?!” she growled.

“Relax, Hollow-Boobies, I bet Nechan has an idea,” Yachiru said, earning a glare from Harribel. The Arrancar woman hated Yachiru’s nickname for her.

“We need someone to replace him as Soul King.”

Harribel gave Nemu a dubious look. “And who do you suggest we make the new Soul King? Shinigami do not trust us and we do not trust Shinigami,” she pointed out.

“We can create one the same way Mayuri-sama created me – gigai and gikon technology. The Soul King would be a neutral entity with the sole purpose of keeping our worlds from disappearing,” Nemu continued.

Harribel looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded in agreement. “if it is possible to do so, then that is our focus. We will focus on training and creating a suitable Soul King instead of the possessed Shinigami. Tell no one of this,” Harribel said, giving Yachiru a pointed look.

“Of course, Harribel-san,” agreed Nemu.

“Sure, sure,” Yachiru agreed. “Can I have candy now?” Nemu chuckled and pulled a small bag of confetti candy out of a drawer for Yachiru. The bubble gum haired girl grabbed the bag and dashed off happily.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Karakura**  
Rukia said on the training room floor watching Ichigo. He was just standing by a wall, looking lost. Rukia imagined she might look the same if she lost Renji the way Ichigo had just lost Chad. She knew Ichigo would be there for her if their roles were reversed, too. She would sit in that training room as long as Ichigo was there no matter how long it took. After what seemed like hours, Ichigo turned and punched the wall. He was frustrated with himself. What kind of hero was he for letting was his best friend get killed? The only reason Chad was involved at all was because of Ichigo. He was supposed to have Chad’s back at all times; he had sword it. Ichigo felt the weight of his failure trying to crush him and he punched the wall again. Rukia rose from the floor and walked over to Ichigo as he continued to take his feelings out on the training room wall. “Ichigo.” Though she spoke softly, her voice seemed to echo in the empty room.

Ichigo stopped mid-punch but he didn’t look at Rukia. “I saved you. I saved Inoue. I even went to save Ishida. But I couldn’t save Chad.”

“There was no way for you to know that Sado-kun was with the Visoreds,” Rukia pointed out. She knew it wouldn’t assuage his guilt but it had to be said. “And we had no way of knowing Aizen’s forces would be waiting to ambush anyone trying to return to Karakura.”

“How can I save the worlds if I can’t keep one promise?!” Ichigo demanded angrily.

“The same way the rest of us are. One foot in front of the other and two hands on our Zanpakutou,” replied Rukia. “Stop doubting yourself, Ichigo. If you give up now all of our losses and Sado-kun’s death will mean nothing.”

Ichigo turned toward Rukia. “I know!!”

“Then shut up and man up! You are Kurosaki Ichigo, the man who never gives up!” the shorter Shinigami stated.

Ichigo eyed Rukia before ruffling her hair. “Thanks.”

Rukia grinned and punched him lightly. “Don’t go soft of me now,” she replied.

Ichigo leaned toward her until their foreheads were touching. “I love you,” he said, whispering the words.

Rukia’s expression softened. Ichigo looked and sounded the most vulnerable she had ever seen. She reached up to cup his cheek. “I love you too,” she whispered back.


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Renji, and Uryuu train together like old times. Yoruichi and Sui-Feng share a moment. Ikkaku is still coming to terms with what happened with Isane. Byakuya finally has the courage to ask Hotaru out, but is it too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah, I'm late posting again. I feel like a jerk when I late post D:

**Karakura, Present**  
The atmosphere in the haven had gone from homey to tense after the return of the Visoreds. The Shinigami and Quincies were braced for potential attacks while Urahara, Tessai and Hachi put the finishing touches on Urahara’s weapon. When the heroes weren’t on patrol, they were training. The final show down continued to creep closer and closer with each passing minute. “This is it, isn’t it? The biggest fight of our lives,” Orihime said to Uryuu as the two trained together. Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were also in the training room with them.

“Looks like it,” Uryuu agreed.

“Just like old times,” Rukia added as she approached them. The three of them stood silent for a moment, knowing it wasn’t exactly like old times. Chad’s absence was felt by everybody in the room.

“It’s time to take Aizen down once and for all,” Renji stated as he came up behind Rukia.

Ichigo was the only one who hadn’t come over to join the group. Rukia turned and watched as he worked alone. “It really hit him hard.” She said as though she were answering a question.

“The zombie-making Quincy is going down. I’ll kill her myself!” Renji growled, looking murderous.

“I would love to see you try,” Uryuu said with a playful smirk.

Renji cracked his knuckles. “Want me to give you a taste Ishida?” the red head asked as he cracked his neck as well.

“As if I’m afraid of you, Abarai,” Uryuu replied without batting an eye.

Rukia rolled her eyes at Renji and Uryuu before she turned to face Orihime. “While they act like idiots, do you want to do some serious training?”

The bustier woman glanced over at Ichigo quickly before frowning. “What about Kurosaki-kun?” she asked worriedly.

Rukia looked back over at Ichigo before addressing Orihime. “He’ll join us when he’s ready. Right now, he’s working through his demons.”

“And if he doesn’t?” Orihime remembered how withdrawn Ichigo had been after they had rescued Rukia and again after he had lost his Shinigami powers to the final Getsuga Tenshou.

“Then I’ll give him a kick to the head and drag him over here,” the petite woman told her friend.

Orihime laughed softly. “Okay, Rukia-chan. Let’s do this!” The two women smiled at each other. Once they had been rivals for the same man’s affections (at least in Orihime’s mind they had been) but they had become more than that. Aside from the Kurosaki twins, Orihime was Rukia’s closest female friend. They had trained together, laughed and cried together, and they had fought on the front lines together. Orihime was able to let go of her jealousy the closer she became to Rukia. Orihime began to understand why Rukia was so important to Ichigo; the dark haired Shinigami drew people in much like Ichigo did. While Ichigo was a beacon of hope and strength, Rukia was a beacon of strength and compassion. 

While for Rukia, it was the other way around. She had begun to see Orihime as the strong and compassionate one, even if she was a little quirky. “I’m looking forward to seeing how much you’ve improved since the last time we did this,” Rukia said as she and Orihime walked away from Uryuu and Renji. 

Orihime smiled. “I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what I can do now.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Canada**  
Yoruichi sat and watched as Ikkaku and his merry band of misfits trained outside their cottage. She and Suì-Feng had shown up just as their four allies were about to start their journey back to Karakura. Yoruichi had persuaded them to remain where they were. She had had an inkling that they would not make it before Urahara and the others left for Soul Society. Her inkling had proven right, so she ordered them to train as often as possible until she was given word to head to Soul Society. Though there was only six of them, they were the surprise back-up. 

“Yoruichi-sama?” 

“What is it, Suì-Feng?” Yoruichi asked without looking back at her companion. 

“Have you given more thought to what they said about Kusajishi and Kotetsu?” the 2nd Division taichou asked. Yoruichi looked over her shoulder at Suì-Feng. “if they are indeed alive, shouldn’t we try to find them while we wait for Urahara’s instructions?” 

“If they’re still alive, they’ll find us,” was Yoruichi’s answer. 

Suì-Feng frowned slightly; both Yachiru and Isane were her friends. “But….” 

Yoruichi shook her head. “We don’t know where they are. And given Kusajishi’s penchant for secret tunnels and sneaking around, we may never know where they are,” Yoruichi answered calmly. “I know they’re friends of yours, but we have our own parts to play in Kisuke’s plan.” 

“Let me go on my own, then,” suggested Suì-Feng. 

“No.” 

“Why not?! I’m more than capable!” exclaimed Suì-Feng, frustrated. 

“Because I need you, Suì-Feng.” 

“Wha-what?” Suì-Feng spluttered. She had always longed to hear those words from Yoruichi. 

“Don’t look so shocked,” Yoruichi said with an eye roll. “You’re my partner, Suì-Feng. You and I know each other perfectly. And Kisuke needs us both.” 

Suì-Feng scowled slightly at Yoruichi’s mention of Urahara Kisuke. She would never like that man. “Fine. But not because it benefits him. Because it helps you, Yoruichi-sama.” 

Yoruichi laughed and slapped her knee. “Of course, Suì-Feng,” she managed to say through her laughter. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“I wonder what those two are talking about,” Yumichika mused as he glanced at Suì-Feng and Yoruichi. The two women were sitting on the front porch of the cottage while their four newly found allies trained together in the snow. A moment later, Yoruichi erupted into a fit of laughter, distracting the others completely. 

“I want to know what the hell is so funny to her,” grumbled Ikkaku. The bald man looked incredibly cross as he glared daggers in Yoruichi’s direction. He hadn’t been too pleased when the dark skinned woman had barged in and set herself up as their boss, effectively changing all their plans. 

“Calm down, that’s just how she acts,” Nanao insisted. Of their small group, she was the only one who had been a Shinigami before Yoruichi had gone into exile with Urahara, Tessai, and the Visoreds. She had been a child then and had had few chances to interact with Yoruichi, but those few times she had stood out in Nanao’s memories. 

“It doesn’t bother you at all?” Ikkaku demanded. 

Nanao raised an eyebrow at Ikkaku. ”You’ll have to be more specific if you want an answer,” she told Ikkaku. 

“That she appeared out of nowhere, demanding we stay here!!” growled Ikkaku. 

“No,” Nanao said, her eyebrow still raised. Hisagi shook his head as well. 

“Not especially,” added Yumichika. 

“What the hell is wrong with you people?!” demanded Ikkaku. 

“She knows more about what’s happening than we do,” Hisagi answered. 

“But she doesn’t think it’s worth it to do anything but train!” complained the hairless Shinigami. His friends all looked at him in surprise. Nanao’s jaw even dropped slightly while Yumichika flashed him a smug ‘I told you so’ sort of look. Ikkaku sighed and rubbed a hand over his smooth head. “I just think we should try to find Isane and the pink haired demon,” he pointed out. 

“’Isane’, huh?” teased Yumichika. 

“Guilt looks good on you,” Hisagi muttered, earning a glare from Nanao that kept him from making another comment. Hisagi was still angry with Ikkaku even if Nanao wasn’t. 

“So what Hisagi?! Why the hell is it so bad that I feel guilty or care about her?!” Ikkaku snapped. 

“It’s not! You should feel guilty! You pushed her to it!” Hisagi exclaimed. 

“I know I did, so just stop acting like an asshole!” Ikkaku exclaimed back. 

“ENOUGH!!! Stop acting like brats and get back to work!” thundered Yoruichi. Hisagi and Ikkaku’s bickering had gained not only Yoruichi’s attention but her wrath as well. Ikkaku glowered and Hisagi looked sheepish but they returned to sparring without a fight. Yoruichi watched them with a smirk for a moment before returning her attention to Suì-Feng. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

**Karakura, Present**  
Hotaru sat with Keigo and Mizuiro to watch as Tatsuki attempted to teach Kohaku, Gin, and Ran some basic martial arts. Tatsuki had made the offer to Hotaru and Orihime to help keep the children out of the way of and distracted from the war preparations happening in the haven. They had tried to persuade Hisana to try as well but the little girl had lost interest after five minutes. Hotaru had been prepared for such an occurrence and had brought along a bag of toys for the toddler. “I can’t believe this is finally happening,” Keigo said to Mizuiro and Hotaru. “It’s been so long I was starting to think everyone had given up.” 

“Why would you think that?” Hotaru asked. She was curious about Keigo’s logic. 

“Everyone’s got lives going on now. Y’know, personal lives? I figured they were feeling comfortable here and stopped wanting to leave,” the brunette explained. 

“Keigo’s just jealous that everyone’s got a girlfriend but him,” Mizuiro assured Hotaru. 

“You don’t either Mizuiro!” Keigo exclaimed, his cheeks red. 

“It doesn’t bother me like it bothers you,” answered Mizuiro without batting an eye. 

“Even Kuchiki’s stick-up-the-ass brother has one!” moaned the overly dramatic Keigo. 

“I don’t know if I’m really his girlfriend or not. We’re just… something. It’s complicated,” Hotaru replied with a sigh. “Besides, final boss battle. Mass exodus of Shinigami. That’s happening.” 

“Was that… a video game reference?” Keigo asked, surprised. 

“What? I grew up the same time you did….” 

“Hotaru-chan, you are much too cool for Mr. Emotionless,” Keigo informed Hotaru. 

“That makes her too cool for you, too,” Mizuiro kindly pointed out to his friend. 

Hotaru just raised an eyebrow at Keigo. “Byakuya has emotions. And he doesn’t have a stick up his ass,” she said in her sort of boyfriend’s defence. Keigo and Mizuiro both gave her incredulous looks. “Okay, maybe he has a bit of one sometimes, but he isn’t a bad guy!” 

“Who’s not a bad guy?” 

Hotaru rolled her eyes but didn’t look behind her. “Byakuya’s not a bad guy and why are you here Abarai?” she asked. 

“He accompanied me since we both wished for the company of the ladies we are courting.” 

Hotaru turned red while Keigo went completely white. Mizuiro chuckled at the two of them. “Maybe you two should pay more attention to the things happening around you,” he suggested, enjoying himself. 

“Shut up, Mizuiro!” Keigo snapped. 

Hotaru glanced over at Tatsuki, who kept looking over at Renji while she instructed her students. “I know your secret girlfriend, Abarai,” she said, glancing up at the red head. 

His face was almost as red as his hair. “Taichou!! What happened to not saying anything?!” Renji half growled, half whined at Byakuya. 

“It could not be helped,” the black haired Shinigami replied. There was a tiny smile on his face as he watched his fukutaichou’s reactions. 

“What, even Abarai has a girlfriend?! Who is it?!” Keigo demanded. 

Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow at Keigo. “You’re really that clueless?” he asked the brunette. 

“He truly is,” Mizuiro answered for his friend, earning another “shut up Mizuiro” from Keigo. Renji laughed, earning his own “shut up Abarai”. 

“While those three act like fools, I wish to speak with you,” Byakuya said to Hotaru, offering her his hand. Hotaru took it and Byakuya drew her up from the ground where she had been sitting. Her spot was quickly filled by Renji, who continued helping Mizuiro torment Keigo. Byakuya led Hotaru away from the three men to a quieter spot where she could still see her young siblings. 

“So what’s up?” Hotaru asked one Byakuya had stopped. 

For a moment, Byakuya looked nervous. He was not sure how to tell her the things that needed to be said. He was not looking forward to her reaction, either. They had only just reconciled with each other only to have war preparations interfere with the time Byakuya had hoped to spend honestly courting Hotaru. In the handful of weeks that had passed since the Visoreds had returned, none of Byakuya’s courting attempts had gone the way he had planned. He quickly steeled his nerves as he looked Hotaru in the eye. “We are going to war in a matter of days,” he said. 

Hotaru gave a slightly nod. She had assumed the Shinigami would be leaving quickly. “I know you are,” she added aloud since Byakuya wasn’t a telepath. 

“I am sorry,” Byakuya told her sincerely. 

Hotaru shook her head at him. The last thing she wanted to deal with was an awkward break up attempt. “It’s probably better that we end this now. You know, before it gets too serious,” she explained. 

Byakuya frowned. “Hotaru, I –“ 

“It’s fine, really. I’m a big girl, Byakuya,” the woman continued, unaware that he had tried to say something to her. 

“Have dinner with me!” he finally blurted out, catching Hotaru by surprise, as well as himself. He was so rarely abrupt like that. “Just you and I,” he added. 

Hotaru blushed but nodded. “Okay, I can do that,” she murmured, still surprised. She had prepared herself for the end of their relationship; she knew there was no happy ending for them. His dinner invitation had been completely unexpected. 

“Of course, I will arrange for someone to stay with Kohaku and Hisana as well,” Byakuya added as he led Hotaru back over to Mizuiro, Keigo, and Renji. 

“Oh my god!” Hotaru snorted, covering her mouth with her hands. The three men were sitting on the ground with an assortment of pink, flower hair clips and ties in their hair. 

“She ambushed us once your back was turned,” Keigo informed Hotaru. Of the three, he looked the least embarrassed by the situation. Having grown up with an older sister, he was used to being a guinea pig. Hotaru snorted again behind her hands. 

“Taichou, call her off!” Renji pleaded helplessly. His head twitched and jerked as Hisana yanked her hairbrush through Renji’s red hair. 

Byakuya turned to look at Hotaru. “He will look after Hisana and Kohaku for us,” he stated. 

“Why me?!” groaned Renji. 

Byakuya glanced back over at Renji. “Because Hisana likes you,” he replied. He turned back to Hotaru again, ignoring Renji’s protests, and said, “I will come to escort you to dinner at five.” 

Hotaru nodded. “I’ll see you then,” she said softly as Byakuya began to leave. 

“Tai-Taichou, wait for me!” Renji exclaimed, trying to get up and away without knocking Hisana over. 

“Bye-bye!” the toddler called after her fleeing victim. Hotaru snorted again as Renji ran faster to escape the young child. 

“I really want to see him baby-sit now,” laughed Keigo. 

“I think Hisana scares him more than Aizen,” mused Mizuiro. 

“Oh, for sure,” agreed Keigo. 


	15. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Kurosaki/Shiba clan has a family dinner. Hitsugaya lets Orihimr cook for him. Isane and Ikkaku can't keep their thoughts off one another. Hotaru and Byakuya get to know each other better over dinner.

The Kurosaki home was filled with loud voices and laugher despite the fact that almost everyone there would be going to war soon. Isshin and Yuzu had been adamant that their family – Kuukaku, Ganju, Uryuu, and Rukia included – have one last big meal together before then. They wanted to part ways with as many good memories as they could make. Yuzu, Karin, Kuukaku, and Ganju would be in Karakura to protect the Haven and their human friends remaining behind. “Dinner smells amazing! I can’t wait to dig in!” Kuukaku stated from her spot at the table.

“Yuzu-chan is an amazing cook! Daddy is so proud of his little girl!” Isshin said by way of agreement.

“Maybe you should get up and help out, Goat Chin,” Karin suggested as she carried some dinnerware over to the table. ”You put the idea in Yuzu’s head after all.”

“We’re fine, Karin-chan! Uryuu and I have this!” Yuzu called before Isshin could reply.

“You and Ishida have this?! He’s hovering! I’m doing more than he is!” grumbled Ichigo. The oldest Kurosaki had been forced to help out in the kitchen by Rukia. She had decided he was done being anti-social and slipped the idea to Isshin and Yuzu.

“Would you like a cookie Kurosaki?” Uryuu asked sarcastically.

“Don’t piss me off Ishida. I’m in a kitchen with things just as sharp as Zangetsu!” warned Ichigo.

“Both of you stop it right now!!” ordered Yuzu. He fiancé and brother both quieted down quickly, neither wanting to anger the pregnant woman.

“Idiots,” sighed Karin.

“Loud mouthed idiots run in the family,” Kuukaku informed Karin. “Usually it’s just the men.”

“Hey!!” cried Isshin and Ganju.

“You don’t get to protest when it’s especially true in your case,” Karin told her father.

“Kaien-dono wasn’t like that!” Rukia protested on behalf of her late fukutaichou.

Kuukaku snorted. “I could tell you stories about him and Uncle,” she told Rukia. “Where do you think Ichigo gets it from?”

“Kaien could be pretty surly too,” agreed Isshin.

“At least he’s not too much like Ganju… aside from being a loudmouthed idiot,” Kuukaku said, trying to be reassuring. Rukia groaned and Ganju exclaimed, “I am not!” at the same time.

Isshin grinned at Kuukaku. “Do you remember when Ganju was a baby and he escaped the main house while completely naked? Ichigo did that too!”

Kuukaku howled with laughter. “Two peas in a pod!”

“SHUT UP, DAD!!”

“Don’t take your eyes off the stove, Ichi-nii!!”

“Don’t swing that spoon so wildly, Yuzu!!”

“I bet dinner burns,” grumbled Karin before she joined her siblings in the kitchen.

“I want to hear more stories about Ichigo,” Rukia said as she scooted closer to Isshin.

The older man just grinned at the Shinigami he hoped would one day be his daughter-in-law. “He sucked his thumb until he was four. And once the girls gave him a makeover with some of Masaki’s clothes and make-up!”

A wooden spoon smacked Isshin in the face before he could continue, eliciting another round of laughter from Kuukaku. Rukia turned to the kitchen door and saw Ichigo glaring daggers at his father. “Ichigo!” the petite woman hissed.

“Nice throw,” Isshin said, rubbing his nose. “If Rangiku were here, she’d tell you so too,” Isshin added, giving Ichigo a thumbs up.

“Maybe I should find Toushirou and get him to tell embarrassing stories about you,” Ichigo growled.

Isshin laughed at that. “Oh the stories I have about that boy!”

Ichigo just rolled his eyes at his father. “Whatever,” he muttered before returning to the kitchen to finish dinner.

“Uncle was lazy as a taichou. He would do anything to get out of work,” Kuukaku said, loud enough for Ichigo to hear in the kitchen.

“Doesn’t surprise me!” Ichigo replied from the kitchen.

“You wound me! What would your mother say if she could hear you now Ichigo?!” Isshin said with despair.

“I’d hope she would stop you from acting like a jack ass!”

Isshin rose from his seat and went over to the wall sized portrait of his late wife. “Do you hear how our son treats me Masaki?!” he cried to the portrait.

“Uncle certainly is dramatic,” mumbled Ganju.

“You have no idea,” Karin said as she brought some of the finished food to the table. “He spent a week blubbering to the picture when Yuzu left.”

“And two days telling it how proud of Karin-chan he was every time I gave him a progress report on her training,” added Rukia.

Karin nodded. “I think he did the same when you two showed up here, too,” she told Kuukaku and Ganju.

“He always has been a little eccentric,” pointed out Kuukaku.

“Oh Masaki, how my children and niece mock me!!!” he wailed, earning an eye roll from Karin and Kuukaku.

“Cut it out,” Ichigo said, kicking Isshin on his way out of the kitchen while holding a tray of onigiri.

Rukia got up and took the food away from Ichigo. “You’re going to ruin the food doing that, stupid!” Rukia scolded.

“I am not! I have great balance from years of dealing with his abuse!” Ichigo exclaimed, motioning to Isshin.

“It’s not abuse, it’s training!” Isshin corrected as he kicked Ichigo back.

“Just another normal Kurosaki meal,” Karin sighed as she stepped around her father and brother.

“How about not doing this in front of the kitchen door?” Uryuu suggested as he stepped around Ichigo and Isshin as well.

“Quite a change for a Kuchiki, huh?” Kuukaku asked Rukia, who nodded.

“But it’s a good change. Especially since it’s helping Nii-sama,” Rukia admitted.

Kuukaku nodded as well. “He’s definitely changed. Not like when he was growing up, though,” Kuukaku said.

“No, the changes are very subtle,” said Rukia.

“Byakuya’s acting like an ass if you ask me,” Ichigo muttered as he got up and helped Isshin up.

“Ichigo!!” scolded Rukia again.

Ichigo just shrugged. “Whatever he has going on is going to end when we return to Soul Society. I think it’s selfish,” he told Rukia. The dark haired woman just frowned at Ichigo. “Byakuya’s going to go back and forget about his human fling.”

“Some humans tend to make a huge impact on Shinigami,” Isshin spoke up. Ichigo and Rukia turned to look at Isshin. “Humans are remarkable,” he added, glancing back at the giant picture of his wife. There was no doubt in his mind about how remarkable Masaki had been.

“He’s not wrong, you know,” Rukia told Ichigo. The petite woman was blushing lightly. She understood Isshin’s feelings about humans better than Ichigo did.

“You saved Rukia-chan just like your mother saved me. And I’m sure neither of them realize it, but it’s the same for Kuchiki and Hotaru,” Isshin told his son. “They may be short lived, but I don’t think they’ll forget each other.”

“Dinner is served!” Yuzu chimed as she, Uryuu, and Karin brought the last of the food to the table. Ichigo followed them to the table while Isshin retrieved a bottle of sake.

“Let’s toast the remarkable people in our lives,” he said as he poured a drink for everyone but Yuzu; instead, he gave his expecting daughter a sake cup with water. Isshin raised his cup. “To the always remarkable Masaki,” he said.

“To Aniki!” Kuukaku said as she and Ganju raised their glasses.

“To Ryuuken and Kanae, the remarkable parents of my love,” Yuzu said, smiling at Uryuu.

“To the Kurosaki family,” Uryuu said, smiling back at Yuzu.

“To Sado,” Rukia said softly.

Ichigo smiled faintly. “Yeah, to Chad,” he added.

“To a quick victory over Aizen,” Karin added. The rest of her family nodded and drank to that.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This is it. We’re off to war after this,” Hitsugaya said as he opened his door for Orihime and himself. “Are you sure you want to be on the front lines?”

“No, but I need to be. This is my fight as much as it’s yours,” Orihime told Hitsugaya as she entered his home.

“I know it is. I just wish it didn’t have to be,” the white haired Shinigami sighed.

“I wish that, too, for everyone,” Orihime admitted. She hated the idea of war and losing people needlessly. She knew, though, that it was necessary. All Aizen Sousuke wanted was absolute power. He had no regard for anyone and would destroy anyone in his way to get it.

“Once Aizen is defeated we won’t have to,” Hitsugaya tried to assure his crush. Orihime gave a tiny smile. Deep down she knew there would always been people like Aizen in the worlds. And with the gifts she had been given, she would always find herself at the front lines. She couldn’t not defend those who needed her. Her powers had manifested out of her desire to save Tatsuki and they would continue to be used to save people. “Why don’t we have some dinner and just relax?” Hitsugaya suggested, cutting into Orihime’s thoughts.

The busty woman smiled brilliantly at him. “Let’s cook together, Toushirou-kun!” she said as she headed off toward his kitchen.

Inwardly, Hitsugaya cringed at the thought of Orihime’s cooking. Outwardly, he flashed a happy smile. “Sure, Orihime, let’s do this together,” he agreed as he followed her to the kitchen. Cooking with Orihime would be eventful to say the least but Hitsugaya was genuinely looking forward to it, even if it meant having to eat something inventive.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 **Hueco Mundo**  
Isane walked to her room, dead tired. She had been spending most of her time preparing for battle and training with the Shinigami and Arrancar loyal to Harribel. It was much more intense than anything she had gone through with Ikkaku and Yumichika. Yachiru and Harribel just kept pushing everyone to go farther every day. It was certainly a different experience from her last trip to Hueco Mundo. She also found herself missing the cottage in the middle of nowhere. She sank down onto her bed, her thoughts wandering. How was Nanao holding up? Was Hisagi taking care of her? Was Yumichika still complaining about what the Canadian wilderness was doing to his complexion? Was Ikkaku still annoyed with her?”

Isane sighed softly and laid back on her bed. She couldn’t help remembering finding Ikkaku in her bed their first night at the cottage. She hadn’t realized it then, but something had changed between them and it wasn’t just her newfound respect for his battle prowess. Isane had seen something in him. There had been a hint of gentleness under his rough demeanor when he had lectured Nanao. Maybe she and Nanao had been able to soften some of his rough edges. Isane had been way been way too rash when she had left and it had almost cost her her life; she could see that clearly now. She couldn’t change the past and she couldn’t go back. Their advantage was in being unknown to the others. She could only hope that Ikkaku and the others could forgive her for not telling them she was alive.

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 **Canada**  
Ikkaku sat on the porch of the cottage despite the chill in the air. They would be going into battle soon; Yoruichi had told them so. For the first time in his life, the idea of battle did not get his blood boiling. He wasn’t excited by the thought of using Houzukimaru to slice through his enemies. Many of them would be Shinigami under Aizen’s and that damned Quincy’s control. Ikkaku had given the situation some serious thought since Isane had left the group. Slowly, he had come to grudgingly accept that Isane had had a valid point. Fighting Shinigami would definitely be harder than fighting Hollows or Quincies.

“Damn it,” he grumbled aloud to himself. Maybe Yumichika was right; maybe he had grown soft because of those women. Before getting to know Nanao and Isane, Ikkaku would never have hesitated to cut down a foe. An enemy would have been an enemy regardless of species. His only concern had been following Zaraki-taichou into battle. But Zaraki was dead and Soul Society had fallen. Everything had changed and maybe, Ikkaku thought, it was his time to change as well. He had already gone against many of the things the 11th Division stood for by taking Isane under his wing and learning kidou from her. Maybe going all out on the zombiefied Shinigami wasn’t the way to go after all. Maybe there was some way to save them. Ikkaku was realistic, though, and knew it was a long shot. Aizen and the zombie-making Quincy would have to die first. There was no sense in healing the Shinigami if the root of the problem wasn’t eliminated first.

He wished he’d had the chance to tell Isane that. Maybe she wouldn’t have run off if he had only spoken with her. They could have even formed a plan of action together if Ikkaku hadn’t been avoiding her like a coward. Seeing Isane upset about facing off against her Division members had made Ikkaku feel something foreign and tight in his chest. He had done what he always did to avoid new feelings – he had pushed it aside and acted tougher than normal. “Stupid woman, giving me feelings,” he half sighed, half grumbled. He shivered suddenly, the freezing Canadian weather finally getting the best of him. Muttering about how it was “too fucking cold to live”, Ikkaku got up and went inside for the night. As he made his way to his room, he paused at what had been Isane’s room. If the healer was still alive, he would find some way to atone for his actions if it was the last thing he did.

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 **Karakura**  
“You know, I would have pegged you as an expensive, fancy restaurant type of guy,” Hotaru said once she and Byakuya had been seated.

“That was my intention. However, Rukia said you may feel overwhelmed and that I would appear pretentious,” Byakuya answered as he settled into his seat.

“Well, you are pretentious,” Hotaru pointed out with a smile. “But if it bothered me, I would have said so.”

Byakuya gave a nod; he knew she was being honest with him. He found it refreshing that she was honest with him. He could tolerate her doing so because she was not obnoxious like Ichigo was. “I think we will have a nice dinner here,” he said.

“Oh, no doubt. This is a good restaurant chain,” agreed Hotaru. She didn’t mind that he had taken her to a rather generic sit-down style chain restaurant. It was classier than fast food and more comfortable than some pricey five star place.

“You look lovely tonight,” Byakuya told her once he was comfortable in his seat. He was clearly not used to the soft, cushiony booth seat the hostess had shown them to.

Hotaru smiled. She was dressed in a simple, flowy black skirt and a sapphire coloured long sleeved dress shirt. Her hair was swept up into a half-pony and fastened with a flower clip. “Thank you. You’re rather handsome yourself,” she said, returning the compliment.

Byakuya was dressed in black dress slacks and a black button down shirt, his preferred type of attire since he had been living in the material world. He smiled at his date. “Thank you,” he added.

“This is nice, this acting like normal people,” Hotaru mused as she looked around the restaurant at all the clueless people enjoying their dinners. She couldn’t help wondering what life would have been like if she were still a normal, clueless person.

“Do you wish to be just a ‘normal’ person?” Byakuya asked gently. He found himself feeling worried suddenly. Normal humans did not know of things like Shinigami.

“Sometimes I wonder about it. Even if it’s more for the sake of the kids,” admitted Hotaru. “They deserve a childhood that isn’t plagued by monsters.”

“There is still a chance they will be unable to see the world as you and I do,” Byakuya informed Hotaru. When his date gave him a skeptic look, he continued, “Kurosaki Yuzu did not develop the ability until she became an adolescent despite her lineage.”

“Great. I’ll have to deal with puberty and monsters. Maybe you ought to stay and deal with that. I’ll go off to Soul Society for you,” groaned Hotaru.

Byakuya’s lips twitched as though he intended to laugh. He remembered his grandfather having similar reactions during Byakuya’s adolescence. “I am certain my grandfather would wish the same fate upon me as retribution,” he added aloud.

“Oh yeah?” Hotaru asked curiously.

Byakuya nodded. “I was a very… spirited… youth,” he confessed.

Hotaru laughed. “You were a monster, huh?”

“And yourself?” he asked, neither confirming nor denying the truth in her words.

“Moody and awkward,” answered Hotaru. “Until Kohaku was born. My attitude changed for the better or so I like to think. Our father travelled a lot for work, so I had to step up and help with Kohaku.”

Byakuya nodded as he listened to Hotaru’s words. He understood what it meant to grow up without a father as Kohaku and Hisana would. He had assumed Hotaru had as well, given the age gap between her siblings and herself. He had never heard her speak of a father before that night, either. “What happened to your father?”

“Dead. It was a plane crash. Never even knew about Hisana,” Hotaru answered shortly.

“You were not on ideal terms with him?”

“I loved him but my bond was stronger with my mother, that’s all. He did the best he could,” replied Hotaru. She gave a half shrug to show she wasn’t bothered by it before resting her hands on the table top.

“I, too, grew up parentless,” Byakuya said gently. He reached over and placed a hand on top of one of hers. “My father was a man of delicate health. His death caused my mother to become ill from the grief. I was raised by my grandfather.”

“She was heartsick,” Hotaru said softly.

“Ah, yes. I did not know there was a term for it,” Byakuya said.

Hotaru smiled a little. “That’s what Mom called it. I remember her telling me that about my grandparents. She said it was because they shared a great love and their hearts couldn’t stand to be apart,” she explained to Byakuya.

“She sounds like a wise woman.”

“I like to think she was,” agreed Hotaru.

Suddenly Byakuya went tense. “Something is coming,” he said softly so only Hotaru could hear him. He pulled his hand back just as the wall by their booth exploded. Byakuya was out of his gigai and shielding Hotaru before his date was able to fully comprehend the situation. All around Byakuya and Hotaru the other restaurant patrons began to scream and panic. “Are you all right?” the Shinigami asked. Hotaru gave a nod, her eyes wide from surprise. “You must escape with the other humans,” Byakuya instructed as he helped her to her feet.

“Must she go? I kind of want her for my collection.”

Byakuya and Hotaru looked at the hole in the restaurant’s wall and came face to face with Giselle, who was flanked by two turned Shinigami. “You must be the Quincy everyone wants to kill,” Hotaru said, eyeing Giselle warily.

Giselle smiled at Hotaru. “Giselle Gewelle, your new master,” the Quincy said menacingly.

“You will not harm her,” Byakuya stated. He had Senbonzakura in his hand, ready to attack Giselle and his guards.

Giselle just laughed before throwing something at his opponents. “Take this message to the Quincy prince and tell him I will be waiting,” Giselle said.

Hotaru and Byakuya looked down to find a pair of glasses at their feet, the lenses streaked with blood. Byakuya frowned as the Quincy disappeared with the two zombies he had brought. “We must return to the haven,” he finally said. Hotaru nodded as she crouched to pick up the bloodied glasses. She let out a little cry of alarm and almost dropped them. The blood was still warm.


	16. Chapter15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle against Aizen and his forces has begun. Old enemies have become friends for the sake of their worlds.

The Seireitei looked like a ruinous, ancient city. The damage caused by the two Quincy attacks had never been repaired; instead, the damage had been added to. The walls around the city had been completely destroyed in some areas. The parts still intact were cracked and on the verge of falling apart. The city reflected the state of the Gotei 13- largely broken but still partly standing to defend the worlds. “I can’t believe how bad it got,” Orihime said as she took in the sight of the Seireitei. She remembered how it looked the first time she had seen it. It made her heart ache to see it destroyed.

“We’ll win this war and fix the Seireitei,” Hitsugaya told her, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Think Aizen’s here or in the Soul King’s palace?” Renji asked.

“I can’t sense his reiatsu,” Rukia replied.

“Fear not, I have planned for that!” Urahara spoke up.

“That little bitch Giselle’s here, that’s for sure,” Bazz-B pointed out as he cracked his knuckles.

“Waiting just like he promised,” Uryuu growled. He had gotten Giselle’s message loud and clear the previous night when Hotaru had handed him his father’s bloodied glasses.

“And where there’s Giselle, there’s zombies. Think you Shinigami can take out your own kind?” Bazz-B asked.

“You bet your life we can, Quincy. But can you?” Shinji responded, stepping closer to Bazz-B as he spoke.

Bazz-B grinned at the blond haired taichou. “I’m looking forward to killing Giselle!”

“Take a number, boy,” Isshin said as he appeared on the other side of Bazz-B.

“First come, first kill Pops,” Bazz-B stated.

“Don’t do anything reckless,” Eberhard spoke up from behind Bazz-B.

“Please, I don’t plan on dying here in this god forsaken place,” Bazz-B said, brushing off the older Quincy’s concern. “Let’s get this party started!” he added and strode towards one of the broken walls. The others had no choice but to follow after him. He was their ally, after all.

“Are you ready to finish this?” Uryuu asked Renji, Rukia, Ichigo, Orihime and Hitsugaya.

“Absolutely,” Hitsugaya answered.

“We’ll defeat Aizen and get your old man back,” Ichigo said as well.

“Mhmm! We’ll show them just how strong we are as a team,” added Orihime.

“You’re sure you’re okay using that Zanpakutou?” Rukia asked her friend, motioning to the sword at Orihime’s hip.

“Urahara-san trained me, so it’s okay! Besides, he said Kyouraku-san would have approved of a pretty girl wielding Katen Kyoukotsu into battle for him!” Orihime replied.

“Sounds like something Kyouraku-soutaichou would say,” Renji said.

“I’ll be with her. She’ll be safe, Kuchiki,” Hitsugaya assured Rukia.

“I trust you to do a good job, Hitsugaya-taichou,” replied Rukia.

Orihime turned to Ichigo. “You too, Kurosaki-kun. Please watch Rukia’s back. She is my precious friend.” Orihime bowed slightly to Ichigo as she spoke to him.

“You know I will, Inoue,” Ichigo said. “Someone has to keep her out of trouble.”

“How come I’m always paired up with the Quincy?!” demanded Renji.

“You should feel honoured, Abarai,” Uryuu told Renji.

“You wish, Ishida,” scoffed Renji. The Quincy and Shinigami rolled their eyes at each other before hurrying off after the rest of their group.

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Once they breached the wall, the heroes all stopped in their tracks. “Welcome Shinigami and Quincy traitors,” came Giselle’s voice. The Quincy stood before a small army of zombified Shinigami and Arrancar. His forces easily numbered a hundred bodies, if not more. He smiled as he turned to his forces. “Kill them all,” the Quincy instructed before retreating from the front lines.

“Giselle, you fucking coward!!” Bazz-B shouted. The red haired Quincy tried to chase after his former ally only to be stopped by an Arrancar’s cero. “FUCK!!!” he snarled as he managed to dodge the cero.

“Brace yourselves!!” Isshin shouted as he drew and released Engetsu. The other Shinigami followed his lead while the three Quincy men readied their bows. Though they were significantly outnumbered, they were resolved not to back down. There was too much at stake for them to give up so easily. The zombies and Arrancar closed in on the group of heroes, swords drawn and ready to go in for the kill. They released their swords and launched an all-out assault on the heroes. All at once attacks began to fly back and forth from both sides as the battle raged on. However, the heroes began to fall back, overwhelmed by the numbers of their foes. No matter how many hits the zombified Shinigami took, they just kept attacking. It was as though they truly were just walking corpses.

“There’s too many of them!” Eberhard called to Uryuu.

“Fall back if it’s too much for you, Eberhard! We don’t need any more Quincy casualties!” Uryuu ordered.

Eberhard let loose an arrow, striking a persistent Shinigami. “I could not do that to our allies!” the older man insisted.

Uryuu frowned slightly but didn’t push it. He could see the battle was taking its toll on the older Quincy. He knew it had been a long time since Eberhard had been involved in a battle of the same calibre. What they had faced entering Karakura had been nothing compared to their current battle. Uryuu turned and fired his arrows at an Arrancar trying to sneak up on Eberhard. “I will watch your back if you watch mine!” Uryuu called over his shoulder. Eberhard gave a nod and the two Quincies did the best they could to fight off their enemies.

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“Damn it, how are we supposed to kill Shinigami?” Renji asked as he used Zabimaru to deflect an attack from a zombified Rikichi, one of his subordinates. He turned a moment too late and took a hit from behind from another zombified 6th Division member – Shirogane Mihane.

Before the zombie woman could land another blow on Renji, she was enveloped in what looked like a swarm of sakura petals. “If you cannot kill, you should incapacitate them, Abarai,” Byakuya said as he came to his fukutaichou’s aid.

“Taichou! Look out!” warned the injured red head. His warning came seconds too late and Rikichi was on Byakuya before he could defend himself.

“Kare, Kazeshini!” A double bladed scythe sliced through Rikichi’s back, causing the zombified Shinigami to fall away from Byakuya. The 6th Division taichou rose to his feet, having been brought down by Rikichi’s surprise attack.

“You are late to the battle Hisagi,” was all he said.

“Better late than never,” Hisagi replied as he drew Kazeshini back to him.

“You and Abarai are a mess, Kuchiki-taichou,” Nanao said as she helped Renji up.

“That’s what happens when you can’t kill your opponent,” Renji replied.

Hisagi frowned at the red head. “They won’t stop coming if we don’t view them as enemies and fight them seriously,” Hisagi told Renji and Byakuya. Hisagi had no sooner finished talking when Mihane and Rikichi were back on their feet and charging at the small group again. “Let’s go, Nanao,” he said. Nanao nodded and drew her Zanpakutou from the sleeve of her shihakushou. The lovers faced Mihane and Rikichi head on.

“They may likely be correct,” Byakuya told his second in command.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Renji retorted before jumping back into battle despite his injuries. Byakuya was right behind him.

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Yoruichi and Suì-Feng found Urahara as soon as they arrived at the battlefield. “Got any ideas on how we’re going to break through this mess?” Yoruichi asked her long time partners.

Urahara smiled at Yoruichi. “I still have some aces hidden up my sleeves, Yoruichi-san,” he said as he sliced through a weaker Arrancar with Benihime. 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Yoruichi said.

“Maybe you should tell the rest of us some of your secret plans!” Suì-Feng snapped at Urahara.

The blond eyed Suì-Feng from under the rim of his bucket hat. “We have reinforcements on the way,” he said once he was done assessing Suì-Feng. “Inoue-san is carrying our secret weapon. We need to get her to Aizen before it can be deployed. Can you make that happen, Suì-Feng?”

Suì-Feng grinned. “Who do you think you’re talking to, you secretive fool?”

“To the master of death in two strikes,” Urahara replied.

“I know you’ll do us proud, Suì-Feng,” Yoruichi told the smaller woman.

“Don’t die,” Urahara added.

“You won’t be rid of me that easily,” Suì-Feng said before utilizing her shunpo skills to get to Orihime.

“You should trust them all more, Kisuke,” Yoruichi told him.

“I do but old habits die hard,” Urahara answered before he and Yoruichi dove deeper into the battle together.

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Rukia had fought her way through several Arrancar with Ichigo and Isshin close by. The three of them had formed an efficient Arrancar slaying trio. Rukia had also fought her way through a handful of zombified Shinigami as well. Each time she had seen Kaien’s face when she delivered the killing blow. She saw the relief of freedom on their faces like she had seen on Kaien’s face and heard in his voice. She knew the horrors of being prisoner in one’s body and knew that a Shinigami would find death preferable. She had prepared herself before the battle for the possibility that she would have to take Shinigami lives. She would do what was necessary and hope to hell it wouldn’t haunt her for the rest of her life. “Rukia! Look out!!” Ichigo’s warning pulled Rukia out of her thoughts and back to the battle. The petite woman had cleared a path around her while lost in thought. However, two familiar Shinigami were now charging at her, ready to take her out. And for all her pre-war preparation, Rukia froze, her eyes widening. Charging at her were her third seats Kotsubaki Sentarou and Kotetsu Kiyone. All the darker moments from Kaien’s death came crashing down on her. Could she take the lives of more 13th Division members? She had worked with Sentarou and Kiyone for decades. They were practically her family. Rukia braced herself for the impending attack. She let out a gasp when she heard the clang of sword against sword and saw the familiar blade of Zangetsu in front of her, blocking Kiyone’s Zanpakutou. On the other side of her was Isshin blocking Sentarou with Engetsu.

“Don’t be so reckless, stupid!” Ichigo said as he forced Kiyone back.

“They’re my third seats!” Rukia snapped.

“I know!! That’s why they’re coming for you!” Ichigo snapped back.

“You two go, I’ll handle these two,” Isshin told Ichigo and Rukia.

“You sure?” Ichigo asked his father.

Isshin nodded. “It’s more important that you two make sure Urahara’s weapon makes it to where ever Aizen is hiding.”

“We understand,” Rukia said. She turned to face Ichigo. “Let’s go,” she instructed.

Ichigo gave one last look to his father. Isshin nodded at his son and the younger Kurosaki left with Rukia. Isshin turned his attention back to Kiyone and Sentarou. The zombified duo tried to follow after Rukia only to be stopped by Isshin. “Sorry but I can’t allow you to distract them,” he told them before attacking with everything he had.

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As the battle dragged on, more and more of the heroes sustained injuries while it seemed like more and more new enemies were appearing. The heroes began to fall back in hopes of regrouping. However, the zombies and Arrancar kept advancing. “We could use one of your hidden aces right about now Urahara!” Suì-Feng called from where she stood guard. She had easily located Orihime and she continued to fight and defend alongside her and Hitsugaya. The heroes had managed to find some shelter behind a destroyed building, leaving Suì-Feng, Hitsugaya, and Orihime to guard one entry and the three Quincy at the other.

“Indeed it would be,” Urahara agreed. Like his allies, he was also looking pretty ragged.

“So what’s your plan Urahara?” Suì-Feng demanded. She was irritated by his sudden inaction.

“Wait for reinforcements,” answered Urahara.

“What reinforcements?! We’re the only ones left on our side!” Ikkaku asked.

“Ah, well, that’s a long story actually,” Urahara replied.

“You secretive bastard! Just be honest with us!” Suì-Feng snapped, turning to glare at Urahara. “We’re a team! We share the same goals and feelings!”

“Suì-Feng is correct,” agreed Byakuya.

“I told you so,” Yoruichi added only to receive a scowl from Urahara.

“We have allies coming. I don’t know when but they are coming,” Urahara told his allies.

“Kusajishi-fukutaichou,” Yumichika said.

“Correct. She and Kurotsuchi Nemu made it to a lab set up by Kurotsuchi Mayuri in Hueco Mundo and it set off an alarm in my shop,” Urahara explained.

“They better show up soon ‘cause we’re about to get hit by round two!” Bazz-B informed everyone. 

“We need to break through them this time. No more hesitations,” Orihime said, surprising the others. She was normally such a gentle person but in that moment she showed just how much of a warrior she was.

“Inoue is right. We need to end this,” Ichigo agreed. He turned to face Orihime. “I’ve got your back too, Inoue. We will get you to Aizen.”

“Suì-Feng, you’ll get her there. Ise and Kuchiki Rukia will go with you,” Yoruichi said imperiously, earning her a glare from Ikkaku. Yoruichi ignored him and turned to look at Lisa and Byakuya. “Lisa, Byakuya-bou, you two get to come with me,” she told them.

“Understood,” Lisa said while Byakuya just raised an eyebrow at Yoruichi.

“We’re going to play a game of tag and you’re it, Byakuya-bou,” Yoruichi said, flashing him a devilish grin.

“Damn Bakeneko,” Byakuya cursed before disappearing with Lisa and Yoruichi.

“They’re playing a game at a time like this?! What the hell is wrong with them?!” Ikkaku exclaimed.

“They’re creating a distraction, Madarame,” Hitsugaya spoke up. “So we can get Orihime to Aizen.”

“That makes the rest of us the muscle. We have the hard job of facing our fellow Shinigami in battle,” Urahara said.

“It’s kill or be killed,” added Isshin.

“Let’s just hope Kusajishi-fukutaichou actually shows up to help,” Ikkaku grumbled.

“Of course I’m going to show up, Cueball! This looks like too much fun!” The pink haired fukutaichou bounded over to Ikkaku and Yumichika. “Nechan wasn’t ready until now! Hollow-Boobies said we had to wait!”

“’Hollow-Boobies’?” Yumichika asked, looking over at Ikkaku, who shrugged.

“She’s already on the battlefield with Koneko-chan,” added Yachiru, changing up her nickname for Grimmjow.

“Grimmjow is here?!” Ichigo asked, instinctively knowing that’s who Yachiru was referring to.

“He and Hollow-Boobies are already fighting, slowpokes! Let’s go!” Yachiru said before bouncing away from Ikkaku and Yumichika.

“I guess the cavalry is here,” Urahara said casually.

“Ready to go?” Ikkaku asked Yumichika.

“Can’t let her have all the fun, can we?” replied Yumichika.

“Ishida, you need to cover Inoue’s back. Go find your father after they get to Aizen!” Ichigo called before following Yachiru into the thick of things. As he passed, he gave one last nod at Rukia, who nodded back.

“You go, too, Toushirou-kun. Help Kurosaki-kun,” Orihime said.

“Are you sure?” Hitsugaya asked.

Orihime nodded. “Rukia-chan is coming with me. I’ll be okay.” Hitsugaya nodded and followed Ichigo into battle. 

When their significant others had gone, Isshin approached Rukia and Orihime. “I’ll keep an eye on those two for you, so just don’t worry too much about those boys,” he said. The two women nodded in understanding.

“Be careful out there, Nanao,” Hisagi said before kissing Nanao lightly.

Nanao returned the kiss. “You too,” she said when the kiss ended. “And Shuuhei?” she added hesitantly.

“If I see her, I’ll tell her,” Hisagi replied, knowing what Nanao intended to say.

“Thank you,” Nanao just about whispered. Hisagi nodded and went to join the others in battle.

“We’ll go on my lead,” Suì-Feng told Rukia, Orihime, and Nanao. The three women nodded and Suì-Feng approached the three Quincy men. “Kurosaki trusts the three of you, so I will too. Don’t screw this up,” she told them.

Bazz-B glared at Suì-Feng. “Who the hell are you to –“

A quick look from Nanao shut Bazz-B up in the middle of his sentence. “Everyone understands, Suì-Feng-taichou,” she said to her colleague. 

“Everyone is scared of Ise-fukutaichou,” Uryuu assured Bazz-B, who looked perplexed. “She’s the second most fearsome woman I’ve ever met.”

“She seems like she could have given Gitta a run for her money,” Eberhard said. The older man looked amused at the thought.

“Now’s not the time for nostalgia old man,” Bazz-B told the older Quincy.

Eberhard just shrugged. “It is what old men do.”

“Quiet down and get ready. There’s going to be an opening soon!” Suì-Feng told the Quincies. Bazz-B and Eberhard quieted down, both of them becoming quite serious.

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Isane found herself fighting in a group with Harribel’s three quarrelsome Fracción. She had started out fighting alongside Ashido but they had quickly drifted away from each other. Isane had found a sort of rhythm with the three Arrancar; she found she didn’t mind fighting alongside them as much as she thought she would. Their bickering and name-calling put a smile on her face as she slashed at an enemy Arrancar. They reminded her of her sister Kiyone. As she brought her sword up to block an attack, she caught sight of more enemies trying to sneak up behind her Arrancar allies. “Apacci, behind you!” she called out in warning. She forced her own opponent back with her Itegumo. She used that moment to turn and attack before the Arrancar women were ambushed. “Hadou number thirty-one! Shakkahou!!” Isane raised her hands and let forth the fiery red blast, hitting several enemy Arrancar and zombie Shinigami in the process.

“Not bad, for a Shinigami,” Apacci said instead of properly thanking Isane.

“You’re welcome,” Isane answered. 

“Kunrinsha yo! Chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo! Shōnetsu to sōran, umihedate sakamaki minami e to ho o susume yo! Hadou number thirty-one! Shakkahou!” A second blast of fiery energy flew by, inches away from hitting Isane.

The tall woman looked to see a zombie on the ground behind her. She then turned in the direction the attack had come from. Standing there with both hands thrust in front of him was Ikkaku. His released Houzukimaru was stuck in the ground next to him; he’d had to use both hand in order to successfully use Shakkahou. “Ikkaku?!”

Ikkaku grinned and grabbed Houzukimaru again. “Someone needs to have your back,” he said casually.

Isane almost dropped Itegumo in her surprised state. “But how…?” she asked.

“Shouldn’t I be asking that?” questioned Ikkaku as he approached her.

“Hey lovebirds, now’s not the time for a sappy reunion! It’s kill or be killed!” Apacci shouted at Isane and Ikkaku.

Isane blushed but nodded. “Apacci is right.”

“Obviously,” Ikkaku said, rolling his eyes. He raised Houzukimaru and turned to attack an enemy that had tried to sneak up behind him.

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“Ichigo!! It’s about time you got your ass out here!” Grimmjow thundered the moment he saw Ichigo on the battlefield. The blue haired Espada sliced the head off of his opponent before slaughtering everything and anything in his path as he bounded over to Ichigo. He was a one man killing machine and left to his own devices, the zombies and Arrancar would likely all be dead. His massacre opened up a path for Suì-Feng and the others to locate Giselle and Aizen.

“You’re still alive?” Ichigo asked the blue haired Espada.

“Nothing’s gonna kill me,” boasted Grimmjow.

“You’re certainly cocky today,” Ichigo said with an eye roll.

Grimmjow just grinned. “After this, I’m challenging you! So get that Zanpakutou of yours ready!” he informed the strawberry haired man before he jumped back into the fray.

“You keep some odd friends,” Isshin commented. He had witnessed the exchange between his son and the Arrancar.

“No weirder than your friends,” Ichigo replied. Isshin let out a hardy laugh before returning to the battle as well. Ichigo followed his father, his own desire to save the worlds reaffirmed.

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In the wake of Grimmjow’s destruction, Suì-Feng led her group through the chaos at a quick pace. If their luck held out, they could make it out of the main battle undeterred. They could get to Giselle and Aizen and end the war quickly. But life was never that easy and soon they were being trailed by several Arrancar that had survived Grimmjow’s rampage. “They’re certainly persistent,” said Rukia.

“Annoying is more like it,” muttered Suì-Feng.

The injured Arrancar began to close in on them and the three Quincies began to attack them. “Keep going! We’ll hold them off!” Eberhard called to Suì-Feng.

“Thank you, Quincy,” Suì-Feng replied. She waved her hand, motioning for the other women to keep going forward. Suì-Feng glanced back at the fighting Quincies one last time before following her group.

Again, they didn’t get very far before they were attacked by more Arrancar. The small group prepared to defend as their newer opponents began to simultaneously fire their cero. Instead of hitting Suì-Feng and her companions, though, the combined cero attack hit a green-clad woman who appeared in front of the group. “Who is that?!” Nanao asked, shocked as the cero seemed to be absorbed by the green haired woman.

“Is that who I think it is?” Rukia asked Orihime.

The busty strawberry haired woman nodded. “It’s Nelliel-san!!” The green haired woman launched her own cero attack – this one much more powerful – upon the enemy Arrancar.

“Wow,” Rukia said as she examined the aftermath of their saviour’s cero.

The green haired woman turned to face Rukia and the others, revealing that she was as busty as Orihime but wearing far less – just a simple green midriff bearing top and shorts with what looked like a ram’s skull on her head. Her face also bore a scar down her forehead and a red stripe across the bridge of her nose. “You’re one of Ichigo’s friends!” she said happily when she saw Rukia.

“Are you really Nel?” Rukia asked. She had heard from Ichigo and Orihime that Nel’s true form wasn’t that of a child.

“Yes, I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwank,” she replied calmly.

“Thank you for saving us, Nelliel-san! Orihime said as she approached the former 3rd Espada.

“I heard that you are trying to reach Aizen. I have come to help,” Nelliel said to Orihime.

Orihime nodded. “Thank you for helping us fight. I know you don’t like to.”

“This battle is one that is meant to be fought. The survival of the worlds depends on us,” Nelliel answered.

“Suì-Feng!! Why aren’t you guys moving?!” Uryuu called as he and Bazz-B made their way towards the group of women. Each one of them had one of Eberhard’s arms around their shoulders, helping the older Quincy along.

“We were attacked,” Suì-Feng replied, frowning.

“Inoue, can you heal him?” Uryuu asked his friend.

Orihime looked at the injured Eberhard, frowning. She wanted desperately to reject the damage done to him. “I can’t.” She looked pained, as though the words physically hurt to say.

Uryuu frowned as well. “But your Shun Shun Rikka –“

“Is embedded in Katen Kyoukotsu,” Orihime nearly whispered. She drew Zanpakutou at her waist from its scabbard. The Zanpakutou’s blade had a faint blue glow to it that it never had before as well as a blue flower in the middle of the blade.

Nanao’s eyes widened as she stared at the lone remaining blade of Katen Kyoukotsu. “What did you do to it?!” she hissed, suddenly seething with anger.

“Urahara-san found a way to bind my Shun Shun Rikka to Kyouraku-soutaichou’s Katen Kyoukotsu. The goal is to use them to destroy Aizen,” Orihime explained gently to Nanao. Nanao wanted to lash out at Orihime and Urahara. She wanted to snatch all that remained of her deceased taichou away so no one could harm it further. She wanted to curl up and cry for all that had happened to them. “We only have one shot at this, Ise-san. There is a strong chance that my Shun Shun Rikka could also be destroyed,” Orihime added softly, pleadingly.

Nanao stared at Orihime for a moment, looking frenzied. She gave a nod, her expression softening. “I understand, Inoue-san,” she said aloud in case the other woman doubted her.

“Thank you,” Orihime said sincerely.

“How sickeningly, stupidly sweet of all of you,” came Giselle’s voice. The small group of heroes all looked up and saw the enemy Quincy standing on the roof of a crumbling building with one lone zombie standing behind him. The heroes were surprised at how far from the main battle they really were. The only enemies left around them were Giselle and the zombie, who Giselle turned to. “Go tell Aizen about their useless weapon,” the Quincy commanded. The zombie complied without a word.

“Aizen is here?” Suì-Feng demanded.

“Oh yes. On the off chance one of you were to defeat me, Aizen didn’t want his palace destroyed in battle,” Giselle answered. He motioned to a tall peak in the distance. “He thought that would be the best place to slaughter you all.”

“Soukyoku Hill,” Rukia murmured, her chest tightening at the memories Aizen’s location brought forth.

Giselle sneered at Rukia before looking at Uryuu. “I believe you and I have some unfinished business, Prince,” he told Uryuu.

“Where is my father?!” the bespectacled Quincy demanded.

“Inside this building. Kill me and he lives,” Giselle replied. The long haired Quincy grinned sadistically at Uryuu.

Suì-Feng turned to face Nelliel. “If you get a chance, take Inoue, Kuchiki, and Ise to Aizen,” the tiny taichou instructed in a low whisper. Nelliel nodded quietly.

“Send Bazz-B with them,” wheezed Eberhard. Everyone turned to look at him as he removed his arms from his fellow Quincies’ shoulders.

“What the hell Eberhard?!” Bazz-B hissed.

The older Quincy drew Bazz-B closer and whispered something in the red haired Quincy’s ear. Bazz-B frowned but nodded as Eberhard moved away from him. Eberhard turned to look at Uryuu. “Our ‘Great King’,” the German man started, saying those words with venom, “did one thing right by making you his prince, Ishida Uryuu. I’ll fight for you as long as I live.”

“What a sweet sentiment, old man, but none of you are leaving here alive!” Giselle called before launching an attack on the other three Quincies.

“The only one dying is you!” Suì-Feng called back before cutting Giselle off from his intended targets, Suzumebachi poised for a quick strike. Giselle wasn’t able to dodge in time and the stinger-like blade pierced the middle of his chest, leaving a flower shape target behind.

“What the hell was that?” Giselle demanded, his voice just a touch hysterical. His expression changed from surprised fear to incredulity quickly. “You’re like a bug who needs to be crushed under my boot!”

“Come and get me, coward,” taunted Suì-Feng, her expression deadly serious.

Giselle growled and formed his bow, opting to fight Suì-Feng from a distance. “I’ll kill you and make you my puppet!” he seethed. Before he could fire his first arrow, the Shinigami in front of him vanished. She reappeared seconds later to his right and Giselle threw his arm up to block her from hitting his chest again. He growled and cursed when he felt Suì-Feng’s blade pierce his arm. “Enough!!!” he roared but the Shinigami was gone again. Suì-Feng continued her offensive attack, disappearing by using her shunpo and reappearing just as fast and attacking. Giselle’s remained solely on Suì-Feng as a result.

“Let’s roll, ladies,” Bazz-B said to the remaining two Shinigami, Orihime, and Nelliel. “Before Gigi grows bored.” He had taken over the leadership role much to everyone’s chagrin. None of them had ever thought a Quincy would be leading them into battle against a Shinigami.

As the group of five hurried away, Giselle let out a frustrated yell. “You’re not going anywhere!!!” he screamed at Bazz-B, who shot Giselle the finger. Giselle took aim at his former ally, his arms covered in flower targets. “Die, you bastard!” An arrow hit Giselle in the back, sending his arrow drastically off course. The wounded Quincy turned and saw Eberhard release a second arrow. Giselle took a hit in the arm before charging at the older Quincy. Suì-Feng followed behind Giselle, hoping for a connecting hit. As she did, she noticed Uryuu was no longer on the battlefield with them. Giselle turned and launched a rapid volley of arrows at the distracted Shinigami.

Suì-Feng didn’t even flinch as several arrows tore into her before she used her shunpo to dodge the bulk of the attack. She ended up by Eberhard, whose injuries were continuing to worsen the more he fought Giselle. “Where’s Ishida?” she asked.

“I sent him to rescue his father. Your second strike on one of those targets will be fatal, won’t it?” Eberhard asked his companion. When Suì-Feng nodded, Eberhard drew an arrow back and fired at Giselle at the same time Giselle fired at them. “Get that second strike in, Miss Shinigami,” Eberhard said.

Suì-Feng looked at Eberhard for a quick moment before nodding again and disappearing from his side before Giselle’s attack hit them. She let the two Quincies fight it out, waiting for an opening. She’d had enough games for one day and it was time to put an end to the enemy Quincy. When one of Eberhard’s arrows in the chest, causing the enemy Quincy to stagger back, Suì-Feng saw her opening. The impact of Eberhard’s arrow caused Giselle to lose control over his reishi-made bow and Suì-Feng used her advanced shunpo to appear in front of her enemy, startling him. Giselle didn’t get the chance to reform his bow before Suì-Feng’s Suzumebachi made contact with her very first flower target. Giselle staggered in surprise, his eyes wide with terror as Suì-Feng slid her blade out of his chest. Suì-Feng didn’t wait to see her foe die. Instead, she made her way back over to Eberhard. The older Quincy was on the ground, bleeding profusely. He had not been in the greatest condition before fighting alongside Suì-Feng.

“Is it…” Eberhard started, gasping for breath, when Suì-Feng appeared and knelt by his side.

“Giselle is dead,” she said, frowning at her fallen ally. She knew that he had known what would happen when he offered to fight Giselle alone, but she still felt shocked by his actions. He was a Quincy and he had died for Soul Society.

“Th... tha... thanks,” wheezed Eberhard.

“Your sacrifice will be spoken of for generations, Quincy,” she informed the dying man.

“Eh… Ebbie,” he said weakly, motioning to himself. Suì-Feng nodded in understanding. She let out a surprised squeak when Eberhard grasped one of her hands and squeezed it.

“Ebbie-san, thank you,” she said gently before squeezing his hand back. Eberhard’s breathing began to slow as Suì-Feng sat with him until he drew his last breath.

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Uryuu ran through the ruinous building, following his father’s faint reiatsu. He had been torn between locating Ryuuken and staying to fight with Eberhard and Suì-Feng. If Eberhard hadn’t been so insistent that Uryuu save his father, he would have stayed to fight. The older Quincy had played on Uryuu’s sympathies and guilt; Uryuu had realized that the moment he had left Eberhard’s side. By then, though, it was too late to turn back. He had picked up Ryuuken’s weakened reiatsu and reacted without thinking. As rocky as things were between them, Uryuu would not let his father die. Uryuu stopped running when he reached a small, cell-like room with only half a door. As he approached the room, he heard a low moan from inside. He knew without a doubt that his father was in that room. Shoving the broken door aside, he ran into the room. “Father!” Uryuu was greeted with another moan and the sight of his father, covered in blood, on the floor. He rushed over and fell to his knees next to Ryuuken. He gently rolled his father onto his back, relieved by Ryuuken’s steady breathing. Ryuuken didn’t look as badly wounded from the front, either. Uryuu prayed the battle didn’t last much longer; he needed Hanatarou’s skills to help his father.

Ryuuken groaned again, stirring slightly. His eyes opened slightly, meeting his son’s. “Uryuu?” he croaked out, his voice hoarse from need of water.

Uryuu nodded. “I’m going to get you help as soon as I can,” he told his father. Ryuuken tried to sit up using only his left arm. Uryuu frowned but helped his father. He eyed Ryuuken’s right arm as he did, wondering just how much damage had been inflicted onto his father. “Are the others here? Are they okay?” Uryuu asked, referring to the Quincies that had stayed with his father.

Ryuuken shook his head and winced. “Escaped,” the older Ishida answered.

“Before or after you got to Soul Society?”

“Before.” Uryuu nodded, relieved that he wouldn’t have to leave his father and go searching through Soul Society for the other Quincies. He and Bazz-B were the only ones who knew who they were.

“Ishida!!”

Both Uryuu and Ryuuken looked up as Suì-Feng made her way towards them. Uryuu frowned again when he realized the Shinigami was alone. “Where’s Eberhard?” he asked.

For a brief moment, Suì-Feng looked misty eyed. Before anyone could comment, she returned to her usual serious self and replied, “Dead. He sacrificed himself for us.”

“I see…”

Suì-Feng nodded. She had seen many good people die in battle but she felt different about Eberhard’s passing. She was a Shinigami; she was death personified. But she had never held a dying person’s hand before. “He will be remembered and honoured by the Gotei Thirteen and Soul Society for his bravery.”

“Thank you, Suì-Feng,” Uryuu said.

Suì-Feng nodded again and approached Uryuu and Ryuuken. “The others will hopefully be here soon but I will do what I can to help you with your father,” the Shinigami woman told the younger Ishida.

“His right arm is injured,” Uryuu told Suì-Feng.

“We’re not far from the Fourth Division,” Suì-Feng pointed out. She gave Ryuuken a quick glance. “I’ll go see if I can find anything useful there,” she told Uryuu. It was his turn to nod. He didn’t want to move Ryuuken if he could help it. They had no way to know if the 4th Division was still standing. “Keep your guard up, I won’t be long,” the woman said before heading off to the 4th Division. Uryuu made himself comfortable on the floor and supported his injured father while they waited for Suì-Feng to return.

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“Remember, stick to the plan,” Bazz-B told his allies. They had come up with a battle plan on their trek to Soukyoku Hill. It was a long shot but it was the only shot they had. They were fighting for their lives, isolated from the bulk of their allies. Their odd little group was the last hope of the worlds. They reached the summit of the hill in time to see Aizen kill the zombified Shinigami messenger that Giselle had sent. Orihime let out a gasp of surprise as she saw the Shinigami crumple to the ground. She knew that Aizen had no regard for the lives of those he deemed useless but she was surprised nonetheless.

Aizen turned to face the group that had come to oppose him. His eyes widened a tiny bit, surprised by what he saw. Not much genuinely surprised Aizen Sousuke. When something did, it amused him a great deal. Especially if that surprise bettered his odds. “What an unexpected pleasure,” he mused aloud, a confident smile appearing on his face. He casually strolled closer to the group, examining each one of them as he did. “So you are the best Urahara Kisuke could do,” he told them as he stopped just in front of the group.

“Don’t underestimate us, Shinigami,” Bazz-B said, meeting Aizen’s gaze.

“’Shinigami’? No, I do not think I am a Shinigami. I rule from the throne of heaven. I am the Soul King,” Aizen corrected the Quincy.

“You’re dead, that’s what you are!” Bazz-B stated boldly.

“He doesn’t have the Hogyoku,” Orihime said suddenly.

“Indeed. A useless trinket now,” Aizen informed Orihime. “Did you come hoping that you could rid the world of its existence once again, Inoue Orihime?”

Orihime frowned and shook her head. “I came to erase you from existence,” she replied without hesitation.

Aizen’s smile widened at Orihime’s words. Of everyone Aizen could have faced off against, Orihime was the only one who lacked the resolve to take the necessary steps to back up her claim. The human woman was far too soft. “You have intrigued me with your claim. I do hope you do not disappoint me, my dear girl.”

Orihime couldn’t help flinching at his words. She felt like she was back in Hueco Mundo again. “Don’t let him get in your head,” Rukia said, placing her hand on Orihime’s shoulder.

“I am already in her head, as you put it Kuchiki Rukia,” Aizen said matter-of-factly. “Just as I am in yours and Ise Nanao’s,” he added, glancing at Nanao. Nanao growled softly but she couldn’t help trembling under his gaze. She couldn’t deny his claims. Every time Nanao looked at Aizen, all she could think about was Kyouraku. It made her burn with the desire to avenge her lost love.

“Enough of this shit. We came to kill you, not chatter like old people!” Bazz-B snapped, growing impatient with the lack of action.

“Your Burner Finger cannot touch me anymore than Orihime’s Shun Shun Rikka can,” Aizen informed Bazz-B. Even without the Hogyoku or Kyouka Suigetsu to aid him, Aizen was confident that his power still surpassed the combined powers of his opponents.

“Ain’t just me you gotta worry about,” Bazz-B said.

“I am aware that you think a fallen Espada will be of assistance to you. You two will distract me while one of your Shinigami sets up a spell to bind me so Orihime can use her gifts to erase me from existence,” he told them. Their surprised expressions gave him the answer he needed.

“Even if you think you have us figured out, we will still fight for the sake of our worlds,” Nelliel said as she drew Gamuza from its sheath. Nanao and Rukia followed Nelliel’s example and drew their own Zanpakutou as well.

“Looks like the ladies have had enough talking as well. Hope you’re ready to die,” Bazz-B said with a grin. Instead of using his burner finger like Aizen expected him to, he formed his bow. As much as he liked setting fire to any and every thing in his path, their plan would fail if he used it. “I’m going fucking old school on your ass!” he exclaimed and fired his first arrow.

Aizen raised his hand and smacked the projectile weapon away lazily. “Quincies are such inferior creatures.”

“Yet you had one doing your dirty work,” Bazz-B pointed out. He was not about to let Aizen’s words deter him. Bazz-B had come to win or die trying.

“Utae, Gamuza.” Bazz-B kept up his attacks while Nelliel’s resurrección took place. He was soon joined by both Nanao and Rukia. They knew they couldn’t do more than distract him in that moment. That was all they had intended to. They needed Nelliel’s release before they could get into position to trap Aizen. The two Shinigami and lone Quincy attacked from all sides at the same time – Bazz-B with his arrows, Nanao with kidou, and Rukia with Sode no Shirayuki. Aizen began to grow irritated with the weak, incessant attacks. He used his reiatsu to subdue Bazz-B and Nanao as he approached Rukia. Rukia hesitated a moment, unsure of the proper course of action to take against Aizen. With just her shikai, she didn’t think she could incapacitate him long enough for Orihime to activate her Shun Shun Rikka. She couldn’t use her bankai, either. It was their agreed upon last resort.

“You could end this now with your bankai,” Aizen told her as though he could hear her thoughts. “Are you afraid everyone will discover you are a monster if you do? You have no issue taking the lives of Shinigami.”

Rukia’s grip on Sode no Shirayuki’s hilt tightened. She had taken Shinigami lives but only out of necessity. “Rukia-chan is not a monster!” Orihime called out from behind Rukia. Rukia glanced back at her friend, grateful for her support. She turned back to face Aizen before dropping down into a crouch as a lance went sailing over her, straight at Aizen. Unprepared for the attack, Aizen was struck in the shoulder. Rukia rose to her feet as Aizen was struck by Bazz-B’s burner finger, making him stagger backwards. Rukia felt a swell of relief, grateful again to Orihime – the strawberry haired woman had relayed a message to them about Aizen.

“We need a plan before we go running into Aizen’s hands,” Bazz-B said. He had stopped the group only after they had put a great amount of distance between Giselle and themselves.

“How do we attack someone who has planned for our every move in advance?” Nanao asked.

“By not doing what he expects. Kurosaki-kun and Abarai-kun would go in with their most powerful attacks first. We shouldn’t do that,” Orihime said.

“How do you know he won’t be expecting us to do the opposite?” Bazz-B asked.

“Urahara-san told me that Aizen’s god complex has impaired his ability to strategize properly. He’s overconfident in his own skills and we can exploit that weakness,” Orihime explained. Nelliel, Bazz-B, and Nanao continued attacking Aizen while Rukia hung back for a moment. She watched the three of them as their attacks began to enrage Aizen. She had a role to play in this fight just like everyone else; her opening just hadn’t come yet. She glanced back at Orihime again, who gave a nod. As Rukia stabbed Sode no Shirayuki into the ground, activating Juhaku, Orihime yelled, “Ise-san, Bazz-B-san, now!” The Quincy and Shinigami fell back from Aizen just as Juhaku’s ice trail hit his feet.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Aizen demanded as he tried to move away from the creeping ice.

Nelliel trotted up behind Aizen and plunged her lance through one of his legs. “You will not escape your fate,” she told him. Aizen pulled Nelliel’s lance from his leg and used it on her. Nelliel staggered back, her front legs buckling.

“Nelliel-san!” Orihime cried out. They had not counted on Nelliel attacking him so closely. Aizen turned to look at Orihime, his legs sealed in place by the ice, and beckoned her to attack him. Orihime charged at him, angry, with her sword drawn.

Aizen laughed as he grabbed the blade of Orihime’s weapon. “Did you truly believe I could be killed by a mere human?” he asked before ripping the blade from her hands. “You foolish girl.” Aizen tossed the stolen blade out of her reach. “This ice will not stop me, either,” he said as she used his reiatsu to begin destroying the ice created by Juhaku. “You will all per–“ His words were cut off as a Zanpakutou with a faint blue glow was plunged through his back, the tip of the blade protruding from his chest. Aizen looked over his shoulder just as the ice climbing up his body began to freeze Katen Kyoukotsu in place.

Nanao stood behind him, both hands on Katen Kyoukotsu’s hilt. “This is for Shunsui and Ukitake-taichou,” she told him before letting go of the Zanpakutou’s hilt. Aizen turned back to Orihime with a questioning look.

_Bazz-B yanked a Zanpakutou from the corpse of a Shinigami and handed it to Orihime. “Take this one and give me yours. Aizen knows you’ll be coming with the weapon,” he instructed._

_Orihime blinked in confusion but did as she was told. ”But who’s going to wield it if I don’t?” she asked._

_“I will,” Nanao said._

Once Katen Kyoukotsu was firmly sealed within the ice with Aizen, Orihime closed her eyes and prayed the Shun Shun Rikka would be strong enough to erase Aizen from existence. “Souten Kisshun, I reject! I rejected Aizen Sousuke!” she called out. A blinding blue light formed inside the ice at the centre of Aizen’s chest before splitting into six small orbs. The ice from Juhaku shattered as Aizen was encased in a golden box of light. His body began to crack and crumble like the ice he had been encased in. As Aizen’s body began to disappear, Soukyoku Hill began to quake. It was the same quaking that had occurred when Aizen had ascended to the throne of the Soul King. Orihime looked from Nanao to Rukia when the quaking abruptly stopped. “Does this mean someone’s taken Aizen’s spot as Soul King?” she asked the two Shinigami women.

“Maybe,” answered Rukia.

“Let’s go back to the others and find out,” suggested Nanao.

“Hey ladies, a little help back here,” Bazz-B called. He was crouching next to the injured Nelliel, who had reverted back to her original adult form.

Instinctively, Orihime went to heal Nelliel but stopped. She couldn’t even feel the presence of the Shun Shun Rikka. Instead she helped Bazz-B get Nelliel to her feet. “We’ll get you help,” Orihime told the green haired former Espada.

The five of them began to make their way back to where they had left Suì-Feng, Uryuu, and Eberhard. They were met half way there by Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and Hisagi. The three Shinigami men looked relieved when they saw their significant others coming towards them.

“Did you guys even fight? You don’t look like any of you got wounded,” Bazz-B asked when he saw them.

“Fighting alongside skilled healers helped,” Hitsugaya said as he walked over to help Bazz-B and Orihime with Nelliel.

“Nel’s here too?” Ichigo asked.

The green haired Arrancar smiled happily at Ichigo. “Ichigo!”

“Hey, Nel,” Ichigo said as the others helped her over to him. ”Inoue, can’t you do something to help her?”

Rukia walked over to Ichigo and kicked him hard. “Idiot! Don’t you think she would if she could?! You insensitive jerk!”

“Ow! What the hell?!” Ichigo complained.

Orihime smiled at Ichigo. “It’s okay, he doesn’t know,” she said. Though she was smiling, there was a sense of sadness about her.

“What’s wrong?” Hitsugaya asked, concerned.

“Orihime sacrificed her Shun Shun Rikka to defeat Aizen,” Rukia told Ichigo and Hitsugaya.

“Sorry, Inoue,” apologized Ichigo, sincerely.

“What happened to stop the tremors?” Nanao asked Hisagi.

“Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou and Urahara found a way to replace Aizen as Soul King. They created a being to take his place. I don’t understand it, but there was some ascension ritual Kurotsuchi discovered that they were able to perform,” the tattooed man explained to his girlfriend. Nanao nodded, relieved that Aizen was dead and that the worlds wouldn’t be torn asunder because of it. The long war was over; they had saved all the worlds. She had avenged her first love and helped liberate Soul Society. The hell they had been through during the last five years was finally over.


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10 years down the road, Soul Society and the rest of the worlds are recovering from Aizen destroying the balance.

_10 Years Later, Soul Society_

In the years following Aizen’s defeat, the remaining Shinigami forces rebuilt the Seireitei as well as the Gotei13. Byakuya had become the acting soutaichou, taking charge of the restoration. After taking over the 12th Division, Nemu and Urahara combined their skills to find a way to undo Giselle’s zombification on the surviving zombie Shinigami. To honour those who had lost their lives, a memorial was constructed on Soukyoku Hill; their fallen Quincy and Arrancar allies were also immortalized on the memorial. Orihime, Ichigo, and Karin had decided to permanently reside in Soul Society along with the surviving Visoreds. In the tenth year following Aizen’s defeat, Seireitei was once again thriving though the ranks of the Gotei 13 were still greatly reduced. Even with the Shin’ou Academy operational and producing new Shinigami, the Gotei 13 was nowhere near where it had been before the Quincy invasion. Ichigo watched as the new recruits carefully as they entered the academy; he was looking for a very specific person.

“It’s been a decade Ichigo,” Rukia pointed out as she joined Ichigo in his visit to the academy. Ichigo just shrugged. Shinji had told Ichigo that Chad’s soul had been sent to Soul Society and Ichigo wasn’t going to give up on finding his best friend again. Rukia just shook her head at her husband. “We’ll see Sado-kun again when the time is right,” she reassured him.

Ichigo reached over and ruffled Rukia’s hair. “I know but it feels wrong not to look for him,” he told her. Even though they were husband and wife, the way Ichigo showed his affection for Rukia hadn’t changed.

“Yo Ichigo, Rukia!” Renji called as he approached his friends, his haori draped casually over his shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you be wearing that thing, Renji?” Rukia demanded, motioning to the haori.

“It’s dirty again,” Renji replied with a shrug. The red head had taken over as the 6th Division taichou after Rukia had refused the position. She had opted to remain the fukutaichou of the 13th Division.

“You know Nii-sama’s going to scold you again, right?” Rukia pointed out.

“It’s not my fault it’s a pain in the ass!” protested Renji. “You agree, don’t you Ichigo?”

“He does have a point. These things do get in the way sometimes,” agreed Ichigo as he motioned to his own haori.

“You guys are idiots,” Rukia told them.

“And you’re stuck with us,” pointed out Renji.

Rukia just shook her head at Renji. “Actually I have to leave to meet Orihime. We have a meeting to get to,” she informed her long-time friend.

“Better get going before Ise-taichou and Kusajishi-taichou come looking for you,” Renji said, dismissing her with a wave. He earned a kick to the shin before the tiny woman left.

“Tell Inoue I think she’s doing a great job as fukutaichou!” Ichigo called after his wife.

“Looking for Sado?” Renji asked when Rukia was gone. Ichigo nodded and Renji placed a hand on his fellow taichou’s shoulder. “You’ll find him when the time is right,” the 6th Division taichou said sagely.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at Renji. “You were eavesdropping again, weren’t you?”

“You two just talk really loud,” Renji replied.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isane frowned as she bandaged Ikkaku’s arm yet again. “If you actually practiced kidou more you wouldn’t injure yourself so much when you use it,” she scolded gently.

Ikkaku scowled at her as he sat and let her tend to his wounds. “It’s not my fault! Yumichika provoked me,” the bald Shinigami grumbled. He had a sneaking suspicion that Yumichika and Yachiru were conspiring against him in order to keep him injured. They were undoubtedly trying to meddle in his love life at the expense of his health.

“You could tell them ‘no’ once in a while,” Isane pointed out softly. “It’s not like you need an excuse to visit me, you know.”

Ikkaku’s entire head went red. “Tell them that!!!”

“I have,” Isane replied as she finished wrapping his arm. “Apparently our relationship isn’t moving fast enough for them.” In the years following Aizen’s defeat, Isane and Ikkaku had remained training partners and friends; they were comfortable with each other. Isane had gone to Ikkaku when she found out Kiyone was dead and he had grieved with Isane despite not knowing Kiyone well. At the same time, Isane had stood by Ikkaku and supported his decisions, including his decision to not become a taichou. Ikkaku was determined to stay in the 11th Division not matter the cost.

“It’s none of their business,” grumbled Ikkaku as he examined his bandaged arm.

“I think it’s sweet that they care so much,” Isane said as she sat down next to Ikkaku. She smiled when he reached over and took her hand in his.

“Keh,” Ikkaku continued to grumble. Isane gave his hand a squeeze. She was quite content being “an old married couple without the benefits” with Ikkaku as Yachiru liked to phrase it. Neither Isane nor Ikkaku was the greatest with intimate relationships. “I just don’t want them to make you think I don’t want you that way,” he admitted quietly, his face still red as he looked anywhere but at Isane.  
The silver haired 4th Division taichou leaned over and kissed the 11th Division’s fukutaichou on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I know you do.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hitsugaya sat at his desk, writing up a report. It was a familiar activity in an office that had been made to mirror his old one, right down to the couch Matsumoto used to lounge on. The only thing really different about the office was the fukutaichou. Orihime’s work ethic was considerably different. It had surprised Hitsugaya how quickly Orihime had gone through her training to become a Shinigami. Her position had been promised to her if she remained in Soul Society as a Shinigami thanks to her role in Aizen’s defeat; she had adjusted to her new life quite well. For Hitsugaya, it was a nice change of pace. Of course, Matusmoto’s presence could still be found in the office. Orihime kept pictures of the friends she had left behind, including pictures of Gin and Ran. Orihime had left the two children in the care of Hotaru before becoming a Shinigami. Hitsugaya found it ironic in a way; Matusmoto’s had watched him grow up and now he was watching her grow.

“Toushirou, are you still writing that report?” asked Orihime as she entered the 10th Division office.

Hitsugaya looked up from his desk as his girlfriend and fukutaichou entered the room. “I’m almost done,” he answered.

Orihime set a neatly wrapped package on his desk. She smiled cheerfully as he gave her a curious look. “It’s watermelon for you,” she announced, proud of herself. She had managed to surprise him for once.

Hitsugaya set his pen down and unwrapped the container of watermelon eagerly. “Thank you,” he said quickly.

“Rukia-chan is going to be here soon. We’re going to the Association meeting together,” Orihime reminded him as he dug into the watermelon happily.

Hitsugaya looked up at her. “Oh yeah, that’s today isn’t it?” he mused between bites.

Orihime nodded. “Which means it’s your day to run the training drills. Which meant you needed a snack,” she further explained.

The white haired man nodded. “I remember,” he assured her. He rose from his desk, his melon half eaten, and pulled Orihime close. He kissed her gently, making her smile.

“I’ll see you after the meeting,” she said softly before kissing him again. His kiss tasted like watermelon, making Orihime smile more.

“Have fun,” he murmured before releasing her from his embrace. A moment later, Rukia was at the door and the two women were on their way.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Karakura, 10 Years Later_

It had been ten years since Byakuya had been able to return to Karakura. Since becoming the soutaichou of the Gotei 13, he had been unable to do anything but work. He was finally able to take a break, though; his newly appointed fukutaichou had been insistent that he do so. That was how Byakuya found himself in front of a small house in Karakura, not far from the new Urahara Shouten. He had opted to go without a gigai just in case no one was home. As he approached the house, however, he was passed by a group of preteens, two girls and two familiar looking boys. “Seriously, Shunsui, do you and Juushirou have to tag along?” complained one of the girls, golden haired and annoyed looking.

“Someone has to make sure you and the adorable Hisana-chan get here safely!” the boy named Shunsui proclaimed impishly, his shaggy brown hair waving as he walked. The second boy had hair a few shades lighter than his friend. The golden haired girl rolled her eyes as she unknowingly passed Byakuya. Walking next to her was a black haired girl Byakuya would have known anywhere. Hisana was the spitting image of her older sister.

“It’s okay Emi-chan. I don’t mind if Shun-chan and Shirou-chan come too,” the dark haired twelve-year-old told her friend, blushing as she glanced at the dark haired boy. Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he trailed behind them, invisible to all four of them. It made him feel both sad and relieved to know Hisana was sheltered from his world. Byakuya stopped walking as Hisana reached and opened the door of the house, allowing her friends to enter before her. “Haku, move!!” he heard Hisana yell as she disappeared into the house.

“You move, Squirt!” Byakuya blinked as a group of teenagers exited the house, three of them – Kohaku, Gin, and Ran - staring right at him. He had not expected that. “What the hell is up with these damn ghosts?” the dark haired fifteen-year-old Kohaku asked loudly, meeting Byakuya’s gaze. 

The unfamiliar teen in the group raised an eyebrow at Kohaku. “That was random,” she commented as she brushed a piece of long, black hair out of her face.

Kohaku turned to look at her. “You know me, Rin. I’m an odd one,” Kohaku told her. He shot Byakuya one last angry glare as he led the others away from the house. Gin waved as he walked by Byakuya, his other arm around Ran’s waist. 

Byakuya nodded at Gin and Ran before approaching the open door of the house; he assumed Kohaku had left it open on purpose. Byakuya had only just crossed the threshold when Hotaru appeared in front of him. Hotaru looked startled for a moment before a huge smile appeared on her face. “I wondered what all that talk of ghosts was about,” she said with a chuckle as she approached Byakuya. Byakuya couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She looked the same as the day he had left her, right down to the rainbow coloured streaks in her hair. As she drew closer, however, Byakuya frowned; Hotaru was waddling slightly as she walked. She looked a little rounder than he remembered. “Let’s go for a walk so we don’t disturb Hisana,” Hotaru suggested, noticing Byakuya’s frown.

“Of course,” he agreed and offered Hotaru his arm. The two of them began to walk towards the Urahara Shouten.

“I heard you’re the top Shinigami now,” the human woman said, making small talk. “Kurosaki-san said it’s a big responsibility.”

Byakuya nodded. “Yes. We have been rebuilding the Seireitei over the last decade.”

“I understand. We’ve been doing the same here,” Hotaru informed him.

The Shinigami man just looked down at his former flame. He was tempted to poke her protruding stomach to see if it was real. He had known that the possibility of Hotaru meeting someone else existed but the reality of the situation still stunned him. “You look well,” he told her.

“You mean fat,” corrected Hotaru. She wrinkled her nose at him before laughing. “Another month or so to go,” she added, patting her stomach with her free hand.

Byakuya smiled despite feeling a tiny bit jealous. “Congratulations,” he added, trying hard not to sound disappointed.

“It’s been ten years,” Hotaru murmured as though she sensed Byakuya’s disappointment. She stopped walking and turned to face Byakuya. “I missed you. I still miss you. I just….” She trailed off with a shrug. “It is what it is.”

Byakuya sighed softly. He knew life never went as planned but he had hoped for once they would anyway. “Tell me everything I have missed,” he insisted.

Hotaru obliged. “Kurosaki-san and Ishida-san opened a clinic together. I work as their receptionist and sometimes as Ishida-san’s secretary since he lost a hand in the war,” she began. “One day a patient came in while I was there. He kept coming back after he wasn’t a patient anymore. I’m surprised Tadashi- the former patient - didn’t run screaming when he found out I was raising four kids alone.”

“And Tadashi is your…?” Byakuya asked curiously.

“Husband,” Hotaru replied gently. She smiled fondly at Byakuya. “He is a good man and he has always been good to the kids.”

Byakuya returned the look before embracing Hotaru. “I am glad you are happy.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Byakuya returned to Soul Society, he made his way to the 8th Division with a present for Nanao, the Division’s new taichou, from Hotaru. Nanao was also a mother-to-be and Hotaru had sent Byakuya back to Soul Society with a remedy to help lessen Nanao’s morning sickness. The soutaichou arrived just as the Women’s’ Association meeting was ending. “Whatcha doin’ here, Kuchiki-soutaichou?”

Byakuya looked up as he was approached by Shinji and the other male Visoreds. “Ah, I’ve come to bring something to Ise-taichou,” he answered the blond man’s question.

Shinji nodded. “We came for Lisa and Mashiro,” Shinji stated, attempting to make small talk. If Byakuya hadn’t taken the role of soutaichou, the position would have likely fallen to Shinji. The blond haired Visored was relieved it hadn’t come to that; he really didn’t want the responsibility. 

“Kuchiki-taichou, you’re back?”

Byakuya turned back to the 8th Division’s office door and came face-to-face with his fukutaichou a petite woman with short, dark red hair and emerald green eyes. “Yes. My trip to Karakura was short,” he informed the woman.

“Went back to see that girl finally, huh?” Shinji asked.

“Yes. I was curious to see how she was faring with us out of Karakura,” Byakuya informed Shinji. He wasn’t sure why he was even giving the Visored any answers; his personal life was no concern of Shinji’s. He didn’t want his fukutaichou to think he was involved with Hotaru, though. He turned back to the petite woman. “Will you join me for lunch today, Mio?” he asked her, surprising everyone. 

The woman blushed but nodded. “Of course,” she replied softly.

“Thank you,” Byakuya said as he led her away from the gaping Visoreds.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_10 Years Later, Germany_

Yuzu sat down on a big, comfy armchair after a long day of being on her feet. Even though she was due any day, she was still very active in the training of other Quincies. After the war had ended, she and Uryuu had married and their first child, Kanae, had been born shortly after. The three of them had eventually travelled to Germany together to keep their promise to Eberhard. In the end, they had decided to move to Germany permanently. With Ryuuken’s help, Uryuu and Yuzu were able to buy Eberhard’s old home for their own, successfully keeping the land in Quincy hands. They began to train more Quincies there, creating a haven for them. For Yuzu, it was everything she had ever wanted – a home and a family.

“Mama!! We have company!” announced Kanae as she skipped into the den her mother was in. Yuzu held in a groan as she tried to get back up quickly.

“Just stay seated! It’s no one special!” came Bazz-B’s voice from outside the den door. He entered the den a moment later with another little girl on her shoulders.

“Look Mama, I’m bigger than Kanae!!” the girl giggled.

“I can see that, Masaki-chan! Welcome back Bazz-B,” Yuzu said.

“What are you feeding these kids? They’re almost as big as you,” Bazz-B teased as he set Masaki down. The two Ishida girls made faces at Bazz-B before running out of the den. Neither of them resembled the woman they were named after; Kanae looked more like Yuzu and Masaki looked more like Uryuu.

“They’re just growing up,” Yuzu replied. “Kanae is nine now and Masaki is five.”

“Wow. So the other brat must be, what, three? Damn,” Bazz-B said with surprise. He hadn’t seen Yuzu and Uryuu since the last time Yuzu had a baby.

Yuzu nodded. “He’s out with Uryuu.”

Bazz-B nodded and made himself comfortable on a chair across from Yuzu. Since Uryuu and Yuzu had begun training Quincies, Bazz-B had alternated between training recruits and locating them. “You need to stop poppin’ them out already. You know I can’t stand that husband of yours,” Bazz-B said gruffly.

Yuzu just smiled; she knew his words weren’t entirely true. “I’m sure this will be the last one,” she replied.

“What’s the last one?” asked Uryuu as he entered the room, his son Souken in his arms.

“Baby number four,” Bazz-B replied, rolling his eyes.

“Maybe,” Uryuu responded.

“Welcome home,” Yuzu greeted her husband.

“Thanks,” Uryuu replied as he set his son down. Souken immediately ran over to Yuzu.

“Shit, does he ever look like his uncle,” Bazz-B commented.

“Kurosaki had the same reaction,” Uryuu said.

“Better to look like him than you,” Bazz-B said, purposely trying to annoy Uryuu.

Uryuu glowered at Bazz-B. “You’re lucky my son is here,” he growled.

Bazz-B just grinned at Uryuu. “Still not scared of you,” he stated before he called Souken over. “Let’s go get your sisters and do something fun!” he told the toddler before disappearing from the den.

“I really can’t stand that guy,” Uryuu sighed as he approached Yuzu. He leaned down and kissed her lovingly.

“You two work well together,” Yuzu pointed out to her husband after returning his kiss. She took one of his hands and placed it on her bulging belly. The two of them shared a smile as they felt the baby kicking and moving in Yuzu’s womb. “I love you, Ishida Uryuu,” she told him, placing her hand over his.

Uryuu smiled adoringly at his wife. “I love you, too, Ishida Yuzu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! Snuck some easter eggs in here, too. Could you tell?


End file.
